Coruscation

The new chairman of New York's transit system is looking to introduce a pricing policy that would offer passengers discounts to ride late at night and on weekends, an abrupt break from a century-old fare model that could be the city's biggest transportation revolution since the demise of the token.

"We might imagine that we offer discounts at later times, or we offer weekend discounts. Time-of-day pricing might be very attractive."

-- Jay H. Walder, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

It is already too crowded on weekends

Andrew Albert, a nonvoting board member and chairman of the New York City Transit Riders Council, said he was hesitant about the idea. "You really already have some crushed loads at off-peak periods," he said, citing crowded platforms on some weekends.

Many riders already have zero marginal cost

The price of a single bus or subway ride -- $2.25, after a 12.5 percent increase this summer -- is largely symbolic: about half of riders travel with unlimited-ride MetroCards, and the price for each ride varies depending on which type of card is used.