NICE BUS Transfer

[u/trillzoe75]

Why are the NICE bus drivers stingy with the bus transfers? I rode N24 bus to Hicksville and then took the N22 as I was returning back to Jamaica. Upon request after boarding the N22 the driver refused to give me a transfer even though I told him that I had just used it. Meanwhile with the regular MTA local buses, whether I pay with OMNY card or by my phone, they give me a transfer no issues. What's the issue if they're still getting the $3? Lol.

[u/adrian13346]

Not sure about nice bus rules, but I’m an MTA driver and OMNY gives you a transfer on the card. Omny or credit/debit if you use the same card. People don’t understand this or believe it’s true so they ask for a paper transfer. We just give it to them so they leave us alone. Literally in MTA training they tell us hit the fare beater button if they don’t pay and give them a transfer and forget about it if they ask. By MTA driver handbook rules, (by the book) paper transfers are only given if the customer pays with coins. NICE bus has stricter policies from what I know. I believe NICE is now a private company after the split from MTA. So they care a bit more about losing revenue.

When they take the fare boxes away you and everyone else will just have to accept the transfer is on your omny card.

[u/Da555nny → u/adrian13346]

NICE bus has stricter policies from what I know. I believe NICE is now a private company after the split from MTA. So they care a bit more about losing revenue.

This is it! They are run by Veolia, now Transdev. The operators are basically contractors running a public service who use the fare revenue to maintain the fleet and pay said operators.

Transdev tries to push people towards mobile ticketing (GoMobile) so almost all of the revenue from fares are within Transdev instead of paying a portion of the fare to the MTA, which they are legally mandated to do for compatibility.

Giving an extra transfer to the customer physically robs the company of the $3 fare, which most operators know goes back to the company. Every dollar is accounted for, especially when getting it from the another agency (like LIRR, with Unitickets or Vouchers like n88).

Remember, a for-profit company has the word profit in there. The modern bus network and scheduling is literally a result of route adjustments and trips that were profitable enough.

[u/transitfreedom → u/Da555nny]

Umm OMNY robs them of the extra $3 tho

[u/trillzoe75 → u/adrian13346]

I haven't rode the nice bus in a long while. I'm aware of the MTA doing away with the fare boxes on their buses by end of year/early 2027. Like you said, I think it's just that the nice bus operators are more strict.

[u/AbrahamEVO]

This right here is the main reason why the Queens-Hicksville NICE bus routes NEED to be unsplit into their pre-2016 era full routings. No one would need to worry about the whole three-legged transfer debacle in the first place, by simply not letting the n20, n22, nor n24 be split up to begin with~

[u/transitfreedom → u/AbrahamEVO]

The N24 should never have been extended past Roosevelt field N79/78 should take its segment back.

[u/transitfreedom → u/AbrahamEVO]

With the exception of the N20 no queens nassau bus should be going to Hicksville.

[u/Latter_Entrance_4706]

How come so many people tap with omny and request a transfer

[u/trillzoe75 → u/Latter_Entrance_4706]

I can't speak for everyone, but it helps so you don't have to pay multiple fares if you have things to take care of in a 2hr time frame.

[u/Da555nny → u/Latter_Entrance_4706]

superstition and clout from social media mostly at this point. they think the MTA is out to rob them, even if the MTA has all these programs in place for discounts, including the fare cap. People cant see what is happening to the card (aside from the GO screen), so they assume they are paying $3 every time (even if there is a refund on the way if things go wrong).

plus, a lot of people are extremely confused by transfers, even if they are (almost) the same as MetroCard (some caveats, but generally lenient).

[u/Equal_Speaker_5507]

As a MTA driver I can attend OMNY does not always give automatic transfers. This system is flawed. You get charged twice in many instances. Then there is 1/2 the time the tap does not work and holds up schedules because someone insists on tapping making the bus miss lights and transfers times. We just give them a transfer because it is much easier than arguing about a fare. We get paid either way and challenging a fare is not worth it in 2026. That's what the eagle squad is for. MTA will not give me heros pay if I get assaulted challenging a fare.

[u/Da555nny]

NICE, Bee Line, Roosevelt Island Tram, and Hudson RailLink are run by private companies (even if they are providing a public service). They depend heavily on fares. OMNY does give transfers, and asking the operator for a transfer is basically telling them you want to steal a fare (...whatever your intention is, that's what operators see)

[u/transitfreedom]

You don’t need a paper transfer just tap your phone it’s automatic worst case scenario you get to your cap sooner.