Eleven for the price of 10 is a nice offer, but we want to have a real monthly discount.

Now, the reason for the $700 million expense is single-fare transfers between different parts of the system and bulk-purchase or monthly discounts.

Are they going to have a monthly discount?

The Straphangers Campaign, the riders advocacy group, said its only reservation about the switch to the cards was the lack of weekly or monthly discounts.

Both companies charge $7 monthly per additional receiver, and both offer discounts if you pay in advance.

From Jan. 1, 2001, through August 2002, the average monthly discount was 16.4 percent, versus 12.4 percent for the category.

Commuters who bought 12 monthly tickets with one check would receive a 4 percent discount beyond the regular monthly discount.

BellSouth will also offer a $10 monthly discount for customers who subscribe to at least one other service, replacing a more limited discount program the companies operated.

Membership in the club, which means an annual outlay by the company of about $3,500 an opening, gives employees the $95 to $180 monthly discount.

Another might be to hurry along the schedule of getting more stations on line with Metrocard, so that those monthly discounts can go into place sooner.