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renniechops t1_je3hyt4 wrote

Y’all seen a station agent do anything?

All they do is say “no” or play on their phone.

Even with turnstile scofflaws, they don’t get off their chairs.

It must be the easiest gig in the city.

It’s no wonder the waitlist is a decade long for employment

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Chrismercy t1_je476u0 wrote

One of them helped me retrieve my AirPod that fell on the tracks at 42nd street. It was waiting for me in an envelope with my name the next day. She even cleaned all the soot off before she closed the envelope.

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specialcommenter t1_je4kbda wrote

One time a bored agent let me in for free. I was about to buy a metrocard and she called me over and said I’ll let you through.

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Silo-Joe t1_je41d7d wrote

I’m sure it’s the same for many MTA office employees. Just replace the booth with a cubicle.

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Crimsonwolf1445 t1_je4vcdu wrote

Same is true for most office jobs in general but this sib loves its white collar cushy gigs and hates anything remotely blue collar

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iStealyournewspapers t1_je57z4v wrote

Yeah, they’ve opened the gate for me several times when I had a stroller, I’ve had some travel questions answered, and I’ve bought some metro cards from them.

Still fine if they go away, but just answering your question honestly.

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oreosfly t1_je5bspc wrote

  • They do not perform any MetroCard transactions anymore.

  • The stroller issue could be solved by installing an OMNY and MetroCard reader at the gate, or by installing ADA compliant turnstiles like every other sane country has done.

  • The blue MTA help points can be used for directions.

I’m not attacking you or saying you’re wrong or anything, but every conceivable function that station agents perform can be replaced by more efficient, usable, and cheaper alternatives.

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Pennwisedom t1_je5w6ky wrote

I was at a station where the MetroCard machines and the Omni readers were broken and the booth guy told me to get fucked. How are they going to replace that very important function?

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oreosfly t1_je68iaw wrote

Just jump.

I hate farebeating and farebeaters - but it should not be this difficult to give someone your money. The MTA sure as hell makes it a chore.

How the fuck are there still no OMNY machines in stations???

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iStealyournewspapers t1_je5ev0h wrote

Totally. Travel agencies were once useful, but now it’s pretty ok if they go away with all our added technology.

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tengentopp t1_je67hgd wrote

Might not agree with this one. My grandma still uses her travel agency and it's pretty nice. Sure she pays a bit of a premium, but she tells them exactly what she wants and they handle the rest. I've come to see them as a travel concierge type of service. If you're not a fan of endlessly comparing plane tickets and combinations of hotel stays, it's a good option.

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iStealyournewspapers t1_je684ts wrote

Yeah for sure, that’s actually why I said “pretty ok” rather than “totally ok” since I do know that older generations still like to use them, but of course those generations are dying out slowly. I actually used a travel agent 11 years ago to help me set up the most efficient trip possible so I could be in certain cities on certain days in order to complete an around the world trip (with a prize involved) in 11 days. Definitely worth it to have an experienced human help me sort out something that was already a bit overwhelming.

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