Will High-Tech Mass Transit Fares Leave Too Many Riders Behind?

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.—The first time I rode NICE, Nassau County, New York's transit system, I got on the N22 at the Roosevelt Field Mall. To get to the bus stop I walked past the $5 valet parking, past the Tesla EV charging station, and past the overflow lots filled with everything from new BMWs to old Hondas. I stopped at a convenience store to get change — a dollar bill and a dime to pay the $1.10 fare.

The easiest way to pay a NICE fare is with exact change. The buses also accept the New York City MetroCard — a relic of when the system was part of New York's MTA — but if you don't have a MetroCard before arriving at a NICE station you aren't likely to get one. There's only one full-service MetroCard vending machine in all of Nassau County, and the retailers that also sell them are few and far between.