That's an interesting article. However, seems very confusing at all to have a card with money on it to travel with the metro. According to the comments here, most other cities (in USA I guess) have it the same way as well.
In Barcelona, where I live, the system is different. You buy a card with travels on it instead. One travel is a entry to the metro until you leave the metro. So if you buy a card with ten travels, you're sure to get ten travels. If you buy 50, you get 50. This seems like a much more reasonable system.
Metrocard also works on other systems: the Airtrain JFK, which is $5 per ride; PATH, which used to be only $2.25 per ride; MTA express buses, which vary in price.
These systems are used because people don't want to line up and buy tickets before every ride.
The same with the cards we have here. One travel is one ride, with metro, bus or tram. Also the "trains" that goes to up on the mountains use the same card.
Having credits for travels vs money on the card won't make any difference on how you buy the tickets. Only how easy it is for the consumers/users to use.
It isn't reasonable for the fares to be the same. They are determined by different transit agencies, and have different costs. The select bus service is a much different experience than the subway, and as such is priced much higher. Having a cash balance means you can decide what to use it on, when you use it instead of when you buy it.
Indeed. PATH and AirTrain are run by the Port Authority, which is a multi-state agency. The subway is run by MTA New York City Transit, which is part of the New York state government.
In Barcelona, where I live, the system is different. You buy a card with travels on it instead. One travel is a entry to the metro until you leave the metro. So if you buy a card with ten travels, you're sure to get ten travels. If you buy 50, you get 50. This seems like a much more reasonable system.