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MetroChange to divert remaining NYC subway card money to charity
Howard Lake | 10 January 2012 | News
MetroChange is a startup that aims to divert small unused payments on New York City’s MetroCard payment system to charity.
It seems that around $52 million every year is lost by MetroCard users when they replace old cards that have a few cents of value left on them. Not enough to use for travel, but still a small value.
MetroChange plans to construct and install a kiosk at subway stations where card holders can swipe their card, find out the amount left, and then with one press of a button, donate it. MetroChange will then handle the money and donate it to charity at the end of each month. In addition it will recycle the plastic payment card.
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The idea has been featured by Wired, The Huffington Post, theatlantic.com and SpringWise.
MetroCard is a project by NYU students Stepan Boltalin, Genevieve Hoffman and Paul May.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.