Rules > Definitions
The following terms as used in these rules shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Authority” means collectively the New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary, Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, public benefit corporations of the State of New York, except if the context in which the word Authority is used indicates that it is either (but not both) New York City Transit Authority or Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority to which reference is being made.
(b) “Facilities” includes all property and equipment, including, without limitation, rights of way and related trackage, rails, signal, power, fuel, communication and ventilation systems, power plants, stations, terminals, signage, storage yards, depots, repair and maintenance shops, yards, offices and other real estate or personalty used or held for or incidental to the operation, rehabilitation or improvement of any rapid transit railroad or omnibus line of the Authority.
(c) “Service animal” means a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability that such person is unable to perform due to such disability, such as guiding persons with impaired vision, alerting persons with impaired hearing to sounds, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items or providing rescue assistance. The term service animal does not include a therapy animal or animal used for emotional support.
(d) “Sound production device” includes, but is not limited to, any radio receiver, phonograph, television receiver, musical instrument, tape recorder, cassette player, compact disc player, speaker device or system, and any sound amplifier or any sound-producing device of similar nature.
(e) “Conveyance” includes any subway or rapid transit car or train, locomotive, omnibus or other vehicle previously used or held for use by the Authority as a means of transportation of passengers.
(f) “Rules” means these rules.
(g) “Person” means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association or company.
(h) “Fare” means the lawful charges established by the Authority for the use of its facilities.
(i) “Fare Media” means the various instruments issued by or on behalf of the Authority to use for the payment of fare, including, but not limited to, farecards, passes, transfers, tickets, and vouchers.
(j) “Farecards” include, but are not limited to: (1) value-based, magnetically encoded cards (frequently referred to as pay-per-ride MetroCards) containing stored monetary value from which a specified amount of value is deducted as payment of a fare, and (2) time-based, magnetically encoded cards (frequently referred to as unlimited ride MetroCards) which permit entrance into facilities and conveyances for a specified period of time.
(k) “Payment of the fare” includes the use at a fare collection device of a time-based farecard for purposes of gaining lawful entry into a facility or conveyance.
(l) “Paid fare zone” means the area beyond the point at which a fare is required on a conveyance or
within a facility.
(m) “MTA” means the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
(n) “Police officer” means any person so designated pursuant to New York Criminal Procedure Law,
section 1.20 who, pursuant to their authority, has jurisdiction within the facilities or conveyances of
the authority including without limitation any member of the MTA Police Department, and also any
Bridge and Tunnel Officer authorized to issue notices of violation pursuant to New York Public
Authorities Law, section 553(7-a).
Amended: April 2020