Subvert the transit paradigm

Public transit is a huge issue here in New York State, especially the upstate/downstate allocation of funds. Subway and bus fare costs twice as much in New York City as bus fare does here in Albany. More people here have cars, and their system is more comprehensive, but the imbalance is still striking and just a bit unfair.

Complicating things are student cards. See, as a student at certain colleges, you get free access to routes on the city bus system that go between campus sites and student housing. I’m not sure how this works–I think that the colleges pay a set fee to the transit authority. Students only have to flash an ID card; drivers don’t particularly pay attention to the photos and to whether the ID cards even belong to that student. SUNY’s IDs also don’t expire; they eventually can’t be used at the colleges, but there’s no note or sign on the outside that they have expired.