July 2, 1953: New York Introduces the Subway Token

July 2, 1953: New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) introduces the Subway token, to get around the fact that the Subway's fare has been raised from 10 to 15 cents. It had previously been raised from its original 1904 fare of 5 cents to 10 in 1948.

Also in 1948, Boston raised its Subway fare from 10 to 15 cents. But since fareboxes couldn't accommodate more than one coin, an "exit fare" was introduced to get out of the system. This led to "MTA," a folk song lampooning their Metropolitan Transit Authority, in which the hero, Charlie, refuses to pay the exit fare, and can't get out of the system: "He's the man who never returned." (In 1964, the MTA became the MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which also oversees commuter rail and Boston into and out of Boston, and they standardized the system, including the elimination of the exit fare.)

But the token was one coin, that could be worth whatever the MTA wanted it to be. And so it remained, with various increases: 20 cents on January 1, 1966; 30 cents on January 4, 1970; 35 cents on January 1, 1972; 50 cents on September 1, 1975; 60 cents on June 28, 1980; 75 cents on July 3, 1981; 90 cents on January 2, 1984; $1.00 on January 1, 1986; $1.15 on January 1, 1990; $1.25 on January 1, 1992.

The MetroCard was introduced in 1993, to enhance the technology of the transit system and eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting tokens. The MTA discontinued the use of tokens in the subway on May 3, 2003, and on buses on December 31, 2003.

This annoyed me, because tokens worked. Every time. MetroCards frequently don't work. They can get bent, becoming useless, and wasting however much money is on them, ruining their one true advantage, which is that you can put whatever you can afford on them. And they can expire.

Speaking of which: The MetroCard is expected to be phased out by April 2024. It will be replaced by OMNY, a contactless payment system where riders pay for their fare by waving or tapping credit or debit bank cards, smartphones, or MTA-issued smart cards.

At any rate, or so to speak, the New York Subway fare became $1.50 on November 12, 1995; $2.00 on May 4, 2003; $2.25 on June 28, 2009; $2.50 on March 3, 2013; and has been $2.75 on March 22, 2015, although you have to spend an additional $1.00 fee to get a new card.

In 2020, Philadelphia became the last city in America to switch their subway system from tokens to cards.

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July 2, 1953 was a Thursday. There were 4 games were played that day in what would eventually be called Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Johnny Mize, in the final season of a Hall of Fame career, doubled home the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Vic Raschi went the distance for the win. Mickey Mantle did not play. Don Bollweg, playing 1st base for the Yankees on this day, went 3-for-4 with a 3-run home run. Ted Williams was serving in the Korean War, and unavailable for the Red Sox.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-0 at Ebbets Field. Carl Erskine pitched a 7-hit shutout, supported by home runs from Gil Hodges (no surprise) and Pee Wee Reese (big surprise). Jackie Robinson went 1-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-2 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit (renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961).

* And the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Braves, 3-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium.