MBTA Pass Office sighting

[Dreamstalker]

So I lost my T pass yesterday morning (reduced-fare CharlieCard with photo). It probably fell out of my pocket during the morning rush hour monster mash (I'm usually pretty good about noticing things I drop, but there were so many people I wouldn't have noticed).

Amazingly, I was able to get a replacement the same day; yes I did have to leave work an hour and a half early to get down to the pass office in time, but my boss knew what had happened and told me to just go.

The actual replacement process (I had to give my SSN as ID, which is a whole nother rant) was pretty smooth; it just took forever.

Enter on my heels a woman and her mentally challenged son, mom shoves in front of me and demands a replacement pass for him. Bit of an annoyance, I figure it would go quickly enough though.

He has no identification at all (I figure he didn't know he needed it for a replacement, although who doesn't carry some sort of ID with them?), so has to fill out a form and go sit down, at which time I step up, show ID, and sit down to wait for my new card.

The mom whips out a cell phone and starts in at 200 decibels to someone about: the BPD, Boston branch of the FBI, how they were horrendously mistreated, their IDs were confiscated, she was going to contact the ACLU and a lawyer etc etc. Myself and the other woman who was just there to get a new senior ID were giving each other looks. It was the type of conversation you can't help but overhear and speculate on. The son actually seemed annoyed at the mom.

They leave (mom being as theatrical as possible, poor son is just swept along), I answer a few questions (did I want a new photo, how much money did I have on the old card) and my new pass is printed and the old one cancelled.

Judging from the amount of money I recall being on the old card when I last used it and the amount that was transferred to the new one, somebody already had tried to use it and got away with it. Ideally a reduced-fare pass is supposed to be checked when used to make sure the person on the card is the one using the card (at least when the program was instituted that was done, but a number of things that are supposed to be done in the new pass program aren't).

I'm mildly astounded that I was able to get it sorted as quickly as I did. I'm bummed about the little nylon case I had the card in; it was cool (full-color NYC subway map of the financial district).

There's currently a bet going on in the office as to whether the old pass, case or both will actually be turned in.

[Emrld]

I have to say the Charlie Pass is really cool .. .at least I enjoyed the 7 day version I used on my trip.
I only had one issue . . .not only does it expire on the 7th day - but at the time that you purchased it on the 7th day - not the end of business. In otherwords I am lucky I still had 2 singles on me to purchase a pass to get back to Wood Island to get my lugage and then to the airport. (I did write them about it)

Also, if you happen to go to the Wood Island Station in the morning and Matt is working - please tell him one of his Texas Girls sends a smile. He was great. Everyday he asked what we were going to go do and made sure we knew how to get there. He told us which areas were safe and which were not so safe. Really made Boston a much more welcoming part of the country than I thought it would be.

[Dreamstalker]

I have to say the Charlie Pass is really cool .. .at least I enjoyed the 7 day version I used on my trip.
I only had one issue . . .not only does it expire on the 7th day - but at the time that you purchased it on the 7th day - not the end of business.

Oh, that stinks. It would make much more logical sense for the expiration to be end of business (or midnight on the 7th day).

When the Charlie Cards were first being introduced, there were T employees at almost every station handing them out along with nifty little pamphlets. I snarfed a small stack of cards, and we now use them for when people come visit--just add value wherever I happen to be at the time, give to guest, act as tour guide if requested/able to.

Yes, you can buy them at Mail Boxes and a few other places, but mom just finds it easier to have one ready to go when the person gets to her place.

Of course, that invariably results in a stack of cards on the front hall dresser that have unknown values on them--what I'd love to be able to do is transfer the leftover money on those to my pass (doing so might require surrendering that card though, which mom doesn't want to do).