by Rbts Stn
Charlie Cards expire? Yes! Charlie Cards expire! Probably had had mine about 10 years.
Found this out yesterday heading into Boston to meet with an attorney -- usually I just take the train to and from Fenway, so this worked out well for me as I was quite ahead of schedule and was terminating at Park Street. Friendly conductor on the C Line told me to go to "the Charlie Store" at Downtown Crossing to get a new card, so I figured a quick run down the corridor connecting Park and DC and I'd be done!
Well. It's quite a schlep to get to the Charlie store (down that hall, down the stairs, up again on the other side of the tracks, out through fare control and waaaaay down the hall) to a brightly lit Charlie Card Store where I was greeted by a friendly employee asking me what I needed. Told her, she printed me out a ticket and pointed to some (full) chairs to sit in. And then they started calling the numbers, which start with letters "A" through "F" and seem to go in no particular order (letterwise, the numbers at least were sequential).
THIS IS NO STORE, IT'S THE REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES DISGUISED AS A STORE!!!
20 minutes later my 45 second transaction was completed "Oh, this is a first generation card, it's almost a collector's item" the friendly service person told me as she transferred the $10 and change I had left on the card (last used about a month ago). And yes, many folks who arrived after me were taken before I was. There's got to be a better way.
Found this out yesterday heading into Boston to meet with an attorney -- usually I just take the train to and from Fenway, so this worked out well for me as I was quite ahead of schedule and was terminating at Park Street. Friendly conductor on the C Line told me to go to "the Charlie Store" at Downtown Crossing to get a new card, so I figured a quick run down the corridor connecting Park and DC and I'd be done!
Well. It's quite a schlep to get to the Charlie store (down that hall, down the stairs, up again on the other side of the tracks, out through fare control and waaaaay down the hall) to a brightly lit Charlie Card Store where I was greeted by a friendly employee asking me what I needed. Told her, she printed me out a ticket and pointed to some (full) chairs to sit in. And then they started calling the numbers, which start with letters "A" through "F" and seem to go in no particular order (letterwise, the numbers at least were sequential).
THIS IS NO STORE, IT'S THE REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES DISGUISED AS A STORE!!!
20 minutes later my 45 second transaction was completed "Oh, this is a first generation card, it's almost a collector's item" the friendly service person told me as she transferred the $10 and change I had left on the card (last used about a month ago). And yes, many folks who arrived after me were taken before I was. There's got to be a better way.