MTA ‘charged’ in rider ripoffs

IT LOOKS like MetroCard machines have been taking straphangers for a ride this week.

Straphangers were supposed to be able to fully use the machines after a weekend software upgrade blocked credit and debit card purchases in the overnight hours.

Instead, riders have been complaining they’re being told their transactions aren’t going through, while the machines are actually charging them.

Straphangers vented to the MTA on Twitter, demanding to know how to get reimbursed. In one case, a rider wanted a seven-day unlimited pass. Now the rider has two — one of which is useless — and paid for both.

“@MTA said my 7 day unlimited purchase was unable to process so I did it again so now I have two and got charged $64 ??whyyyy” the rider, with the handle @JosieJansss, tweeted.

MTA spokesman Shams Tarek acknowledged problems on some machines. He blamed it on Verizon’s connection, not the weekend upgrade.