There are no “cheap” tickets in NYC or LI any more. Surcharges etc are ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as asking a cop to put your ear bud into her ear. The cop did you a favor by accepting your info w/o ID. She could have taken you to the local precinct until someone came w/ ID. That would have taken a lot longer. As a safety issue I never wear earbuds when riding even on MUPs