New York’s MTA–Metropolitan Transportation Authority–has announced that sales of the historic reloadable magnetic subway and bus cards introduced in 1994 will end Dec. 31 at stations and in stores in the fall. In their place, the OMNY system, introduced in 2019, will become the sole method of payment, allowing passengers to pay with contactless cards, smartphones, smartwatches or OMNY cards. The transition to the new system will save the MTA at least $20 million annually.
The initiative is part of the MTA’s One Metro New York project, for which $772 million has been invested, and which aims to provide customers with a faster and more reliable way to pay for subway rides. Passengers who prefer to use a physical card or pay with cash have the option of purchasing an OMNY contactless card for $1 and charging fares for the service at vending machines located inside subway stations. “After 32 years, it is time to say goodbye to the MetroCard and embrace the fare payment system of the future,” said MTA CEO Janno Lieber in a statement. “The new method has already been chosen by 65 percent of our passengers.”
The agency told the media that Physical MetroCards will still be accepted until 2026, while any remaining amounts on the cards can be transferred to the new payment circuit or refunded to customers within two years after the card expires.
