Pay Phones Are Archaic—Who Knew?

Here’s some important news for those of you who don’t yet have cell phones and/or who frequently find yourself needing to make a phone call at the exact moment you enter a subway station. Yesterday, [the Straphangers Campaign announced that more than a quarter of the city's subway pay phones don’t work]. The advocacy group tested 886 pay phones at 100 stations and found 29 percent out of order. The problem is attributed to MTA’s contract with Verizon, which has recently been relaxed: Instead of having to keep at least 95 percent of pay phones in working order, the company now has to respond to 95 percent of problems within 24 hours—whether they fix them or not isn’t the point? (http://flickr.com/photos/epugachev/)