MetroCard van visits help elderly

A yellow van selling reduced-fare MetroCards to elderly and disabled people visited Jackson Heights and Elmhurst on Monday, September 29.
Vans like this one, which are operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, drive around the city, visiting neighborhoods every other month on a rotating basis. They sell reduced-fare cards to people who are disabled or aged over 65 and allow eligible individuals to apply for the fare discount.
These vans are a great convenience because often MetroCard vending machines, which are only found in subway stations, are not within easy access for the disabled and the elderly, said Jeremy Drucker, spokesperson for Councilmember Helen Sears, who represents Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.
About 85 people bought reduced-fare cards during the van’s Monday tour, Drucker added.
“Today this seemingly small thing helped a lot of people,” said Sears. “The program greatly increases the transportation opportunities for those for whom movement is most difficult, enabling them to more easily go about their business.”
The reduced-fare MetroCard gives eligible riders savings of over half of what a normal card costs, Sears added.