Joe Patrick wrote:
I remember a visit to New York quite a few years ago when my wife
and I boarded a bus (at the airport) only to learn that not only
was there an exact fare of 50 cents when we had no US money smaller
than a $5 bill, but that I couldn't use paper money even to pay for
two fares at once. As I recall, one of the passengers already on the
bus kindly changed my $5 for five $1's, and another passenger then
gave me four quarters (25 cents, you know) for that.

When I was in NY last August I asked why it was no paper money and
they said that the machines that suck out the money would simply
shread the paper money

There is a $1 coin but I haven't seen one for ages, don't think it caught
on.