I’ve decided to make MetroCost available for free! In case you haven’t met yet, MetroCost is an app for iPhone or iPod touch that keeps a record of when you ride public transit, then recommends whether a pay-per-ride or unlimited ride card is a better deal for you. It’s an app designed to save you money, and now you can get it for no money!
I live in New York City. When I used to commute to an office, paying for a 30-day Unlimited Ride card was a no-brainer. But once I started working from home, I noticed there were days when I didn’t ride the train at all. I began to wonder if I would be better off with a pay-per-ride card, and that’s when I wrote MetroCost.
From last September through March, I have spent $498 on MetroCards: initially unlimited, then pay-per-ride, then recently switching back to unlimited. Each time I had to renew my card, I followed MetroCost’s recommendation. The result is that I spent an average of $83/month, a savings of $6/month over the MTA’s 30-day Unlimited Ride card. That’s $72 a year!
I could say that MetroCost pays for itself, but since it is now completely free, what’s really happening is that I am giving you money. How about that?
Two more things:
- MetroCost was designed with New York City in mind, but it is customizable. So, if your public transit system operates on a single fare-per-ride system, you can use it, too. San Francisco and Atlanta are supported out of the box. In a future update I may add support for Boston or even London (if you stay within one zone).
- I am by no means abandoning this app. I just decided that I didn’t want to deal with the difficulty of trying to market a product designed for people who are trying to save money. I have a few ideas for updates, when I have the time.
