The Metropolitan Transit Authority will cease promoting and refilling these formerly-ubiquitous MetroCards by the top of the yr in favor of the OMNY system, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber informed Crain’s New York Enterprise Wednesday.
MetroCards have been round since 1994, however now appear destined to go the way in which of the subway token, which stopped being utilized in 2003.
MTA officers beforehand stated they deliberate to say goodbye to MetroCards in 2027, however now have supplied an estimated date when they are going to cease promoting and filling the playing cards, and that is on the finish of 2025.
OMNY’s common tap-and-go system has been round since 2019 and the service consists of the flexibility to faucet your telephone to pay to buy an OMNY faucet card that passengers can purchase and reload. At the moment, OMNY is utilized by about 70% of bus and subway riders, the MTA stated.
MetroCards have develop into one thing of a collector’s merchandise, with greater than 400 particular editions issued by the MTA.
Commuters will nonetheless have the ability to use their present MetroCards with no matter funds they’ve on them for no less than six months after the playing cards cease being offered, Lieber stated. The earliest the MTA system could be absolutely on OMNY could be late June 2026, however a last date has not been introduced.
The MTA stated that these nonetheless with MetroCards with worth on them can commerce the playing cards in for an OMNY card, or add the worth to a digital OMNY account.
