Validity Periods for LIRR Tickets

As fun as it would be to get an unlimited ticket that would let you ride all over the LIRR for the rest of time without it ever expiring, LIRR tickets, like many other tickets and things in this world, expire and lose their value after a certain period of time.  That specific period of time varies from ticket type to ticket type, and most have changed once or twice in the past couple years.

Validity periods are often a point of controversy when discussions regarding the LIRR's tariff arise, as many think that they should be longer than they are.  For the most part, ticket validity periods on Metro-North are pretty much the same or similar to the policies on the LIRR.

As of this posting, LIRR tickets are valid for a certain period of time as follows:

• One-way tickets are valid from the moment they are purchased and are good for 60 days.  Tickets are valid through 4:00am on the 61st day.  Round-trip, half-fare, and family fare tickets are also subject to the same conditions.
• CityTicket is only valid on the day of purchase and up until 4:00am on the morning after the date of purchase (so a ticket purchased on Saturday will be valid until 4:00am Sunday morning).  CityTicket fares can only be purchased on Saturdays and Sundays, and are not valid on Holidays.
• Ten-Trip Tickets are valid for six months, including the date of sale.
• Group tickets are only valid on the date indicated on the ticket.  Return tickets are valid up until 4:00am the following morning.
• Hamptons Reserve Seat Charges are only valid on the train previously reserved.
• Monthly commutation tickets are valid from 8:00pm the evening before the first day of the calendar indicated on the ticket until 11:59pm on the last day of the calendar month indicated on the ticket.  Tickets will be accepted for one courtesy ride on any train that is scheduled to arrive or depart Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, or Hunterspoint Avenue by 10:00am on the fist business day of the next month.
• Weekly commutation tickets are valid from 8:00pm Friday evening through 4:00am the following Saturday morning.

Ticket validity periods are a necessary evil that many are unhappy with.  The MTA has to have some sort of measure to counter against people who try to use the same ticket for months on end, so shortening the ticket's validity period traditionally helps cut down on that significantly.

At the time of the 2009 fare hike, the MTA cut the validity periods the one-way and ten-trip tickets substantially.  Ten-trip tickets, which used to be good for a year, were cut in half, and the validity period for one-way/round-trip/half-fare tickets was cut from 6 months to just two weeks.

Type	Original	Changed	Revised
One-way	180 days	14 days	60 days
Round-trip	180 days	14 days	60 days
Half-Fare/Family	180 days	14 days	60 days
Ten-trip	365 days	180 days	No change.
Commutation	No change.	No change.	No change.

The two-week validity period had become unpopular with many LIRR travelers who either needlessly purchase tickets that they don't intend on using or people who are looking to cheat the railroad out of a fare more than once.  As a result, the powers at be got the validity period for one-way, round-trip, and half-fare tickets upped from 2 weeks to 2 months.

The main issue that was arising with the one-way and round-trip tickets was that people were taking quick, short-haul trips on trains east of Jamaica, not getting their tickets lifted, and then re-using those tickets, sometimes for months on end.  And if they made it all the way to the end of the ticket's six month validity period, they would get a refund for the ticket and they would have essentially paid nothing to use the railroad all of those times.  The shortened validity period, along with the refund charge, helped mitigate this revenue-draining phenomenon.  The effect of it has been lessened slightly now that the validity period is two months instead of two weeks, but it is still better than what was previously going on.

Validity periods are often controversial, considering that there are some railroads, like NJTransit, which sell one-way and round-trip tickets with no expiration date at all--they are good until used.  However, before we are too quick to compare the MTA commuter railroads the perfect and infallible New Jersey Transit, it is worth noting that NJT trains often feature more trainmen per run than LIRR trains do, so there are more people out there lifting tickets between intermediate stops than on the LIRR and Metro-North.  As fast as the crew might be, it is tough for a crew consisting of just a Conductor and an Assistant Conductor to lift tickets by themselves between every tiny intermediate station on a ten- or twelve-car train, even when ridership is light.  While it might be possible for one person to lift five cars worth's of fares on the 20-minute ride between Amagansett and Montauk, it's a much different story on the quick stretch of the legs between Lawrence and Inwood or the stops on the west of Babylon trains.  Also, NJT one-way tickets are non-refundable, so they must be used or thrown away.

At the end of the day, validity periods for one-way, round-trip, and half-fare tickets shouldn't be much of an issue for riders if you only purchase tickets when you intend to travel in the near future.  I was disappointed to see the ten-trip validity period cut in half back in 2009, but such is the way things go.  The MTA has to balance operational practicality, financial practicality, and the court of public opinion all at once when making these decisions, and while some adamantly oppose any sort of validity periods on tickets, I see it as a necessary evil in balancing the usability of the system along with the financial undersides of the railroad's farebox.  At the end of the day, the evils of the validity period could be mitigated if you don't go too crazy when you walk up to the Ticket Vending Machines, but I have many more tariff tricks and tactics coming in future posts.