HHere is an intersting email exchange by a &quot;concerned&quot; commuter Mr. X(read second email first) and the response by the MTA (first email)...Somebody&#039;s not listening!! 

Dear Mr. X:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding your experience traveling to Grand Central 
Terminal on February 2, 2011.  Please accept our apologies for any 
unpleasantness.  

Our ?courtesy ride? policy allows customers to use the previous month?s monthly 
ticket for one ride on any train arriving in or departing from Grand Central 
Terminal before 10:00 AM on the first business day of the new month.  While we 
regret any misunderstanding, horrible conditions notwithstanding, the conductor 
was not able to accept your January monthly ticket on February 2. However, if 
you were assessed a one-way fare, you may contact me at 914-461-0583 to discuss 
this matter further.

Again, please accept our apologies for any unpleasantness.

Sincerely,


Jesse Vallely	
Senior Customer Service Specialist





Customer (X) - 02/08/2011 04:40 PM
As we are all going through a difficult and trying period, it would help ease 
the tension between us harried commuters and the railroad if you specifically 
gave your conductors and train employees some discretion to use more common 
sense in dealing with and enforcing the railroad&#039;s normal policies during 
abnormal times.  For example, last week during the snowstorm, I did not commute 
to the city on February 1, but did go in the next day, the 2nd.  I always 
purchase my monthly ticket each month at Grand Central and normally give the 
prior month&#039;s ticket to the conductor on the first morning commute as 
consideration for that ride - a courtesy policy I understand is accepted by Metro north 
since there is no revenue loss to the railroad.  However, on this particular 
day - it being the 2nd and not the 1st of the month - despite the horrific train
conditions -a delay and a &quot;no heat&quot; car, the snow and ice the prior day, and the 
otherwise overall terrible train performance that wwe have had to bear - and notwithstanding that it was obvious 
that I was a regular monthly commuter (the same conductor knows me from my daily 
commute!!) he proceeded to refuse to accept the ticket saying it was &quot;normal&quot; 
railroad policy to refuse the courtesy except on the morning of the 1st...Now I do not know whether you can use the word &quot;normal&quot; this 
winter when dealing with New Haven line commuting, but clearly this particular 
conductor had to use some common sense and be flexible - especially since here 
is a situation with no net loss of revenue to the railroad. For example, this morning when on an extremely late and extremely crowded (SRO in the aisles!!) train, he still insisted on walking through to check tickets!!  Understand that if 
service continues to be less than expected - by a significant amount, then your overall policies had better start to 
reflect this fact as well.  I can tell you that consumers are getting angry (imagine the time I took to write this email) and there will be a point where the situation becomes contentious - surely to be avoided at all costs- so I suggest you do all within your power to alleviate some of the tension perhaps as simply as  
Thomas Paine eloquently said a long time ago - you need to introduce common sense into the equation!!