Charlie Card carrying?

[elements.livejournal.com]

I got my Charlie Card LinkPass in the mail today (my employer has a pass discount program so I get my passes early in the mail). Hurray!

Except, the one thing that sucks is a big notice on the back of the card telling me I must not punch holes in it. There's no way to tell where the RFID chip resides, so no way to know if I'd be ruining the card by punching it. I know I can't be the only person who was expecting to hold onto this permanent pass by punching a hole and attaching it firmly to *something* - keeping track of the pass has been, apart from privacy issues, the only thing I've worried about at all w/r/t the Charlie Card. Now I'm at a loss - unless the MBTA figures out that they should be pre-punching them (I'd hoped they'd already be) and lets us all trade in our first cards. Doubt it, certainly any time soon.

So, anybody have ideas about secure sleeves with strings to attach these things? I don't know a ton about RFID so I'm not sure how much wrapping up they can take and still work well. I'm envisioning something along the lines of a luggage tag, but none of the ones I have at hand fit just right (a little too small). Has anyone else had the chance to try something out? Know of anyplace local selling the right size luggage tag holders? New cottage industry for our awesome local artisans? Anyone else with clever ideas?

ETA: Thanks for all the ideas, everyone. It looks like I'll be set for the immediate future, but I'm still curious about fun locally-made crafty alternatives for the longer term. (I think the vinyl ID holders aren't really secure or sturdy enough for the sort of use I'd put them to, strung on a string and stuffed daily into my backpack's hip pocket, and I may wait a little before daring to actually punch where folks tell me the RFID antenna isn't.)

Comments

[fenway1912.livejournal.com]

at least for now people buying a monthly pass at one of the T pass sale locations are still getting the pass on a CharlieTicket. If you have to buy the pass you can use your new CharlieCard at a vending machine and put the pass on the smart card. If for some reason you want the ticket version just go to one of the 5 pass sales locations.

I assume this will change. I'm thinking they may have to keep the old sales outlets open for awhile as they are staffed by union help.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

What's wrong with "union help?"

[fenway1912.livejournal.com]

nothing is wrong with union help.

But one thing overlooked in this is how the former token sellers have been faring in the changeover. They are not happy.

[elements.livejournal.com]

I'd be really happy if they found new work in the T system for all of them; I know nothing about their contract but it might be written in there anyway, or at least I hope it might.

It seems to me that they still need a person at every T station at the gates anyway. If nothing else, you'd think they'd want it to prevent gatejumping. Ex: Yesterday afternoon I came back into town with a suitcase and so exited at Davis through the wider wheelchair-accessible gate. Someone was waiting on the other side and as soon as I'd exited, squeezed through. The gate buzzed, but there was no T employee in sight to even give the guy the stinkeye. I don't like the idea of an unpersonned station for lots of other reasons too, but you'd think the T would care about the gatejumping. (I'm ambivalent re gatejumping, personally, on the "not a big deal" vs "public utility needs funds" line.)

[fenway1912.livejournal.com]

What I am afraid off is the T will follow the example of the Chicago Transit Authority and hire a private security company to watch each station. Many of the former token sellers took what is now called "customer service" positions but they are not happy about being outside the booth.

[ron_newman]

Really? The ones I've talked to enjoy being out among the public instead of cooped up in a booth behind glass.

[fenway1912.livejournal.com]

Really? The ones I've talked to enjoy being out among the public instead of cooped up in a booth behind glass.

Oh no doubt some do. However I have talked to several at low traffic stations (Savin Hill for example) at night that are concerned for their safety.

Some of the former token sellers have now been assigned to be fare inspectors on the Green Line as of January 1.

[ron_newman]

They no longer have any money, so trying to rob one of them would accomplish nothing....

[fenway1912.livejournal.com]

They no longer have any money, so trying to rob one of them would accomplish nothing....

I know they have no money, you know they have no money. Problem is the 15 year old kid with a gun strung out on crack DOESN'T.

New York has kept some agents in booths as the MTA made a compromise with the union to allow the selling of single ride tickets for $2.00 with no transfer. Chicago has eliminated CTA workers at stations outside the Loop and Lincoln Park completly and uses workers from Securitas Security Services at most stations.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Where can you get one of the smart cards? When I saw the ads on the Red Line about discounts for getting the tap-readable plastic CharlieCards, I tried to buy one at South Station and Harvard Station (where the sign said they were available), but they were only selling the old paper CharlieTickets. I'm accumulating an awful lot of these tickets, in my futile attempts to buy a smart card (and there's no way to pay for a bus ride with 50 cents from one card and 40 cents from another.)

[ron_newman]

You should be able to get it from a customer service agent at any subway station. If that doesn't work for you, let me know, as I now have four of them.