1. MetroCard App Product Spec
Kristina Gully
Advanced Fare System
1. Introduction
The MetroCard App is an exciting new payment system for the MTA. It’s easy to use,
convenient, and should make your rides on the MTA’s subway, local, and express buses easier.
It is a straightforward application that can be accessed on your computer, and more importantly
over a mobile phone. It allows for automatic replenishment of funds to your MetroCard by
linking your unique card ID with your bank account in the mobile app. The initial card purchase
is $3 for a rechargeable smart fare card and it is intended to be secured the same way one
would a credit card. The card is embedded with a computerized chip to keep track of the cash
value on your card. Every time you use your card ID to add cash value, check your card
balance, or pay your fare, you are automatically linked to the computerized fare collection
system. The ease of allocating funds to your MetroCard at your convenience provides a strong
incentive for the public to make this purchase.
Your new MetroCard can hold up to two hundred dollars for future rides. The money you put on
the card will always be there for your use; there is no expiration date. Additionally once a person
establishes an account, the customer gains access to cross promotional city benefits and
relevant MTA updates on service. The automatic replenishment feature is an added
convenience if you are a weekly rider but prefer to make payments in smaller amounts
throughout the month.
2. MVP
Product Market Fit: NYC commuting residents who live a considerable distance from a train
station; Adult NYC residents who frequently use mass transit; NYC residents who ride NYC
Express buses; percentage of Tourists who are returning users
Will be solving the problem of a public reliance on kiosks located only inside of a train station for
travelers to replenish their fare balance when it is easiest for them. This eliminates the
necessity to handle credit cards and bills in the train station, which is both safer and more
efficient. The new MetroCard is a one-time $3 purchase which can be made within all subway
stations, pharmacies, and online. It has an added radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip and
only has to be in close proximity to the turnstile, affording the convenience of being scanned
while still inside a wallet or purse passed over the target. This saves an estimated 5 minutes of
prep time for a trip, from funding the card without need for credit cards or bills to passing
through the gate.

2. • Create an app that syncs to a bank account and requests the 10-digit code on the reverse side
of the MetroCard to assign funds to the card. If lost or stolen, a person can cancel the card
through the app and the funds will remain to be reassigned to a new card. (look into sensor tech
for app)
The riskiest assumption is that the pain/inconvenience to add funds is greater than the effort to
do so. Second is that this is of value to people.
My first user study is to make trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan on an NYC Express Bus and walk
up and down the rows of riders, asking passengers questions about managing this process and
how they currently manage funds.
• How do you manage your weekly MetroCard purchases – unlimited Bus passes or value-fare
MetroCards?
• How frequently they alternate between different modes of transit; bus, train?
• Do you find it to be an added inconvenience to make a trip to a train station
kiosk, especially if you strictly ride the bus?
• Do you live far from a train station?
• Do you use a smartphone?
• How reliant are you on this device? Use/trust banking apps?
• Would you make use of this service?
Further Steps
1. Ask riders for their email addresses so that I can set up an online subscription service to
hone my niche audience and learn their true desires for a product like this. It’s easy! It saves
time! It clearly shows you how much money you have allotted for transit in order to be
prepared for a trip, and aids in managing overall personal finances for a week/month.
Based on customer feedback, this product has the potential to be reformed.
2. Create a landing page and a video that shows the convenience of this product, which raises
the question of why this does not already exist in NYC.
The MTA has estimated to eliminate the physical MetroCard by the year 2019. The appropriate
outside company must be selected to take on the enormous overhaul of restructuring the transit
system as it currently functions. Future plans dictate working with developers on sensory
technology to fall in line with services like Apple Pay, to be used on smartphones, credit cards,
and keychains. Washington D.C currently uses a SmarTrip card which contains an NFC chip for

3. scanning entry onto buses and trains. While the MTA seeks to find an outside company to
implement this system, most likely this predetermined date is give or take a couple of years and
dictates a need for internet access within the stations.
The plan I have proposed provides a functional solution to the evident problem of reliance on
outdated stationary technology.
My hypothesis is that the public remains in transition to organizing their daily life digitally and
this app would further simplify managing personal finances as well as reducing travel time.
3. Business Model
Customer Segment:
All mass transit users: Weekly, Seasonal (tourists), and occasional riders (i.e. NY resident with a
profession in sales; freelancer in a profession)
• NYC population using mass transit = 88%
• Avg. Weekday subway and bus ridership ~ 7,400,000
• Median age being 42yrs*
Daily Transit Rides by Age Group (All Modes: Buses & Subway)
*MTA Facts & Figures
Value Proposition:
• Ridership as at an all-time high and by creating trust with commuters; allowing for ownership
of the money invested in the MTA, we will see marked influence on the MTA deficit.
8%
19%
65%
8%
18-24 25-54 55-64 65+

4. • MTA has added a $1 charge for purchasing new MetroCards in an effort to decrease the high
production of cards. By redefining the relationship of customer with MetroCard to that of a
personal credit card, production of MetroCards will decrease. Additionally so will the
dependency on MTA kiosks. This money can be redirected to improving all other aspects of
transit service and potentially expanding internet access into its stations.
• New feature for customers who are frustrated by their lack of control and knowledge of fare
balance: relying on retiring technology and losing money on separate cards
• The general amount of time spent replenishing cards within a station and the time spent
swiping card through the turnstile greatly decreases
Customer Relationship:
• App based support for all functions of the product
• Tracking balance and securing funds
• Immediate replenishment of money
• Citywide discounts from participating organizations
• Greater autonomy of overall process
Channels:
• MTA website
• AdWords directing tourists researching NYC travels to the MetroCard App/ site
• Banner ads targeting the most highly trafficked lines at the start
Key Activities:
Updating transit infrastructure with RFID readers; App development
Key Resources:
• Banner ad space provided by the MTA
• Customer Support
Key Partners:
• Hire Development shop to create the app
• Link MTA with RFID tech to update transit process and improve value for customers.
Cost Structure:
• Web hosting costs
• Marketing and sales
Revenue Streams:
Our customers are willing to pay for a service that simplifies this aspect of their daily life.
Standard costs of MTA travel currently amount to $1 fee for a new MetroCard, receiving 11%

5. bonus on multiple-ride purchases above $10. Purchases are pay-per-ride or Unlimited.
Customers would prefer not to lose their invested money on an expiration basis.
4. Personas
The benefits of the product are outlined by the needs and lifestyles of the following people:
target audience, personas
I. Adam:
II. Bea:
BIO
• Name: Adam Chapman
• Age: 26
• Occupation: Script Supervisor, RadioCity
MusicHall
BEHAVIORS
• Likes to be organized in his personal life but
spends a lot of time out of the house and as a
result, uses MetroCard varying numbers of times
each day
• Express Bus rider ($6.50 pay-per-ride fare)
• Does not bike or walk much, and only refills
MetroCard in the subway station on his way
home from work
STORIES
“I live far from the train in Brooklyn so I take a
nearby Express Bus every morning. I’m forced to
buy a pay-per-fare MetroCard and it’s a hassle
always trying to remember what’s left of my
balance. Days when I step up on the bus and my
card swipes for $3.50, I’m kicked off! And that’s a
bad start to a morning.”
WANTS/NEEDS
• To arrive in Mid-town Manhattan before 7am
daily
• Be able to view MetroCard balance and
immediately add funds
• Not to have to rely on a stationary kiosk
• A card similar to an Unlimited, which can be
used on Express Buses and the subway
interchangeably
BIO
• Name: Dr. Bea Tallen
• Age: 51
• Occupation: OBGYN
BEHAVIORS
• Intelligent with a care-free attitude that makes
her prone to losing things
• Busy workday
STORIES
“I live close to my office so I have the luxury of
walking to work most mornings. I use an Unlimited
MetroCard in the evenings and for emergency trips
to the hospital. A cab down Lexington Ave just
won’t do the trick! What I want is a reliable
MetroCard. I don’t mind paying, but I wish there
was a better system where the money I paid for
the card would always be there for when I need it.
It’s really an unnecessary hassle after I’ve taken
the step of purchasing something. Not to mention
trying to call the MTA if I happen to misplace it in a
rush!”
WANTS/NEEDS
• Security of funds during periods of infrequent
card usage
• Immediate assistance from Help Center
• Ability to cancel card immediately
• Ability to swipe through turnstile efficiently
• The sense of concrete ownership of card the
way one would protect a debit/credit card

6. 5. SWOT
Strengths:
- Prevalence of smartphone users: Mobile banking and mobile pay exist and are highly used
- Consistent weekly ridership of over 7 million people
- Access to KPI’s from other cities that use the proposed system
- Ability to view statements and visualize your spending as an asset
- Money in personal MTA account does not expire the way Unlimited MetroCards (~50% riders)
do, thus drawing away existing users
Weaknesses:
- High cost of implementation in relation to on-boarding of customers in starting months
- $3 initial purchase cost for card
- Less likely to be purchased by someone without a smartphone ~ 30%
Opportunities:
- Simplifying a retiring system
- Potential keychain development for riders without smartphone (to be purchased at window)
- Ease the purchasing and swiping process for visitors to NYC
- Marketing access to existing transit users
- Database available to determine marketing strategies based on Rider usage and income
Threats:

7. - EasyFare and WageWorks card holders (however represent a small population of riders and
card must be associated with an employer)
- Loss/damage to the MetroCard
6. Market Size
66% of mass transit travelers fall within the age range of 25 to 54yrs. This percentage equates
to 4,810,000 active weekly riders. Taking a smaller subset of transit riders, there are 1,170,753
L train subway users subject to banner ad marketing on a weekly basis.
The “Set it and it’s done” feature of auto-refill could not only help existing customers, but could
increase the value of these customers as well.
7. Metrics
Customer Lifecycle for the mobile MetroCard system:
1 - Purchasing/ordering a MetroCard
Create advertisement, incentive to people ordering EasyPay pay-per-ride MetroCards to try out
this app, credit union members who receive a discount, and potentially IDNYC card holders
2 - Downloading the MetroCard App
3 - Creating a profile (registration with unique 18-digit identification code)
4 - Syncing bank account
5 - Identifying how soon a person adds funds to the card through the app/ is only using the app
to monitor dwindling funds
6 - Signing up for automatic replenishment

8. 7 - Taking advantage of the 11% bonus every time an amount of $5.50 or more is electronically
added to the card (current feature of EasyPay)
Key Metrics to Monitor:
1 - Signing up with the app
Demonstrates that a person has spent money with the MTA by purchasing a MetroCard
2 - Making electronic payments
This reveals how frequently a person is using mass transit and taking advantage of the offers
8. Wireframes
Registration: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6dnnhHRZ2qUWVZvYUhpR1FFSFU/view?
usp=sharing
Setting up a personal account with the MTA starts with downloading the app
• Create a username (email address)
• Register your physical card by entering in its 10 digit-ID number
• Link your bank account
• Add funds towards MetroCard
• Select Y/N for automatic replenishment of funds
• View balance
• View cross-promotional options
• Receive up-to-date transit advisories
• Help provides the option to deactivate card if lost or stolen
9. Financials
With such a large percentage of riders purchasing MetroCards and using mass transit everyday,
we will get a more accurate judge of user growth by focusing on a select group to start out with,
as mentioned in Section 6.
By pricing the initial card at $3, the costs of implementing the new system will offset the MTA for
6 months, at which point we will break even and begin to make a profit on the product.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6dnnhHRZ2qUSUw5THVXbWFSb00/view?
usp=sharing
10. Product Roadmap
Q1 - Develop and Release
In Q1, we will develop and release a V1 version of the product. Perform study where we
implement banner ads promoting the product inside of all L train subway cars.
Q2 - Support and Feedback

9. Q2 will be a period of feedback from customers on the initial purchase process and how
it can be improved. Access how many people are creating profiles. Determine how people are
making the initial purchase; in pharmacies, inside of train stations, or through the mail. Begin
trying to onboard more city organizations to entice riders with cross promotional benefits.
Q3 - Iterate and Refine
Evaluate success of purchases thus far. Use this information to create a new marketing
campaign, highlighting the simplicity of the product and congratulating the MTA on funds already
saved by its customers. In pharmacies, encourage convenient at the counter purchases for the
product.
Q4 - Upgrade and Integrate ?
Determine how far down the line it is possible to make a price adjustment on the initial
purchase for a card purchase. With steady growth, we are also attracting more users who will
retain personal cards at a greater rate, and MetroCard production will fall at a noticeable rate.
The MTA is saving money on production, and gaining profit from its partnership on this product.
Greater flexibility in funding will lead towards future steps in addressing the issue of eliminating
the physical card altogether.