Token Exchange

Slugging the subways

An estimated 2.7 million people ride New York City's subways each day, most of them using 75¢ tokens. But so many foreign coins, manufactured slugs and whatnot are stuffed into the turnstiles that the financially troubled system loses up to $1 million in revenues each year. Now there is a new drain on income: a 17½¢ token issued in October by Connecticut Turnpike officials for use in the state's automatic toll booths that is almost exactly the same size and shape as a subway token. Says one New York official: "Somebody did some sloppy work on this."

In fact, Connecticut's new tokens were manufactured by the same firm that produces New York's. But city subway officials and Connecticut transportation officials failed to confer in advance on the token plans. With each side soon blaming the other for the foul-up, New York Mayor Ed Koch launched a new crackdown on fare cheating, Connecticut-style. Some operators of video-game parlors that employ special tokens have discovered another illegal use for the Connecticut tokens: Pac-Man players are getting a quarter's worth of action for 17½¢.