Metro

Companies will give quarters to riders hit in meter mix-up

Check those cab receipts — two firms may owe you enough money to buy a copy of The Post.

Two taxi-meter shops accidentally sped up the 50-cent-per-ride surcharge meant to provide bailout funds for the cash-strapped MTA, city officials said yesterday.

Last Thursday, 288 meters manufactured at a company called Centrodyne charged the 50-cent surcharge a week early, and from last Sunday to Monday morning, one meter repaired by Susan Maintenance Meter Shop also charged the fee early, the Taxi and Limousine Commission said.

About 4,000 trips were overcharged — which means the taxman took in a total of about $2,000 that wasn’t his.

“It represents less than 1 percent of taxi rides taken during any day,” the TLC said.

Officials insisted the overcharging was a programming error made by both meter shops.

Agency inspectors who check the meters caught the early charges.

People who want their 50 cents back can be reimbursed by calling 311 or going to the TLC Web site.

Riders who paid by credit card must submit their statement or receipt and give officials their names and addresses.

The agency will use GPS technology in every cab to reimburse those who paid in cash and don’t have a receipt.

Riders can submit the trip’s start and end times, its start and end locations, its cost and their names and addresses — and analysts will determine whether their cab had a bad meter.

tom.namako@nypost.com