MTA will soon begin testing new swipe-free payment system
Select New Yorkers will soon bid farewell to the dreaded “please swipe again” message on their morning commutes.
Starting Friday, the test phase of the MTA’s OMNY program — short for One Metro New York — will officially roll out, allowing for contactless payments to get onto the subway.
These payments will be made through high-tech readers in place at subway stations on the 4-5-6 line subway stations between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center, as well as on all Staten Island buses.
The readers will be activated by the end of the week, allowing riders to simply tap their credit card or smartphone against it and instantly have the fare paid by whatever card is hooked up to their account.
Apple is on board with Apple Pay, as well as other digital wallets like Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Visa’s contactless cards will be accepted, and even FitBit is getting in on the fun.
Unlimited MetroCard holders are out of luck, however, as OMNY can only accept single-fare payments. And riders will still need MetroCards for other lines until the MTA updates its system.
The MTA has said that OMNY readers will eventually be on all buses and subway stations by the end of 2020, and will reach commuter rail the following year, with the ultimate goal of phasing out the MetroCard by 2023.