(a) Authority means collectively the New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary, Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, public benefit corporations of the State of New York, except if the context in which the word authority is used indicates that it is either (but not both) New York City Transit Authority or Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority to which reference is being made.

(b) Facilities includes all property and equipment, including, without limitation, rights of way and related trackage, rails, signal, power, fuel, communication and ventilation systems, power plants, stations, terminals, signage, storage yards, depots, repair and maintenance shops, yards, offices and other real estate or personalty used or held for or incidental to the operation, rehabilitation or improvement of any rapid transit railroad or omnibus line of the authority.

(c) Service animal means a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to perform one or more specific tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or mental disability, that such person is unable to perform due to such disability, such as guiding persons with impaired vision, alerting persons with impaired hearing to sounds, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, recognizing or avoiding hazards, alerting a person to an oncoming seizure, and responding to a seizure. The term service animal does not include a therapy animal, comfort animal, or animal used for emotional support.

(d) Sound production device includes, but is not limited to, any radio receiver, phonograph, television receiver, musical instrument, tape recorder, cassette player, compact disk player, speaker device or system and any sound amplifier or any sound-producing device of similar nature.

(e) Conveyance includes any subway or rapid transit car or train, locomotive, omnibus or other vehicle previously used or held for use by the authority as a means of transportation of passengers.

(f) Rules means these rules.

(g) Person means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association or company.

(h) Fare means the lawful charges established by the authority for the use of its facilities.

(i) Fare media means the various instruments issued by or on behalf of the authority to use for the payment of fare, including, but not limited to, farecards, passes, transfers, tickets, and vouchers.

(j) Farecards include, but are not limited to:

(k) Payment of the fare includes the use at a fare collection device of a time-based farecard for purposes of gaining lawful entry into a facility or conveyance.

(l) Paid fare zone means the area beyond the point at which a fare is required on a conveyance or within a facility.

(m) MTA means the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and its subsidiaries and affiliates.

(n) Police officer means any person so designated pursuant to New York Criminal Procedure Law, section 1.20 who, pursuant to their authority, has jurisdiction within the facilities or conveyances of the authority including without limitation any member of the MTA Police Department, and also any bridge and tunnel officer authorized to issue notices of violation pursuant to New York Public Authorities Law, section 553(7-a).