New Yorkers, say goodbye forever to your Metro Cards. This relic of outdated technology will be fully phased out this year in favor of OMNY, according to the MTA.
First rolled out in 2019 as a test, OMNY has expanded steadily throughout the system, now it will totally replace the Metro Card.
For those not yet in the know, OMNY is a contactless fare payment system that is being implemented for use throughout public transit in the New York metropolitan area. The name stands for One Metro New York, and it plays off the word “omni”, meaning “all”. OMNY allows riders to tap their smartphone, smartwatch or a contactless chip credit or debit card to pay for their fare, instead of swiping a MetroCard. OMNY is currently available at all subway stations and on all buses in New York City.
OMNY has reached 1 billion taps since it was first launched in 2019. The OMNY has now been installed at all MTA train stations, buses, and on the Staten Island Railway.
OMNY will also be installed on the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road. The MTA plans to launch a new mobile ticketing option in the OMNY mobile app, replacing the eTix app that commuters use. New physical tickets will also be rolled out at vending machines and ticket offices.
Riders on New York City’s subways, buses, Roosevelt Island Tram, and JFK AirTrain can tap their payment at the turnstile with OMNY, using their bank card, an OMNY card or their phone if they have the express transit card set up in their digital wallet.
Benefits of OMNY include: Free transfers. Use the same card or device for both legs of your trip to get a free transfer.
Free trips. Pay for 12 rides using the same card or device in a 7-day period, and all additional rides within the week are free. Learn more here.
