OMNY vending machines are coming to a subway station near you — but MetroCards won’t disappear anytime soon, MTA officials said Monday.
The new machines will be installed at all 472 subway stations by September, giving riders an easy way to buy and reload OMNY fare cards, MTA officials said during a committee meeting. Currently, the tap-to-pay system can only be used by riders with smartphones, contactless credit cards or people who buy a physical OMNY card from a retail store.
The agency also plans to add OMNY readers to the turnstiles for the Roosevelt Island Tramway and at least one entrance for the JFK AirTrain by Thanksgiving. MetroCards are still the only form of payment available for both transit options.
MTA officials said about 40% of subway and bus riders pay their fares with the OMNY system. But they said they hope more people will ditch their MetroCards once the new vending machines are in place.
Still, MetroCards will continue to be available alongside OMNY cards for the foreseeable future. The MTA previously planned to phase out MetroCards by the end of 2023, but pushed back that timeline last year.
MTA chair Janno Lieber on Monday said there is now no “drop dead” date for the trusty old swipe cards. He acknowledged the OMNY project is "having some challenges," and said his team is reworking its schedule and putting new managers in charge in an effort to get it back on track.
“Like our old friend East Side Access it was time for this project to be reexamined and subjected to a reevaluation of how it’s proceeding because the scope issues and changing technology and frankly contractor delivery issues were creating a backlog,” Lieber said. “First thing you have to do when you have a project that is not succeeding is be honest with yourselves.”
MTA officials plan to install OMNY vending machines like this one at all the city's subway stations by June.
The delays have also cost the MTA money. The price of the agency’s contract for the installation and launch of OMNY is currently $772 million, up from $645 million when the deal was first approved in 2017.
The system’s full rollout is about halfway finished, officials said.
It’s unclear how OMNY will come to the commuter railroads, where the MTA has already launched a popular ticketing app that's independent from the OMNY system. And the agency still needs to integrate OMNY with discount programs like Fair Fares and student MetroCards.
Officials said the MTA plans to launch a pilot this summer for OMNY payments on Access-A-Ride.
Lieber said he hopes to have a schedule for the full rollout by June.
“This renewed focus of looking at the next phases as a major project is welcome," said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA. "The future of fare payment is OMNY, and we need it in place sooner than later.”
The OMNY system still has no 30-day unlimited pass, but riders can have a seven-day unlimited pass through the MTA’s “best fare” program. Under the program, riders who pay a $2.75 transit fare at least 12 times on a single device or card from Monday through Sunday of any week will ride free the rest of the week.
The MTA board plans to raise fares later this year, and Lieber said there may be changes to the “best fare” program — including a shift that allows the countdown to unlimited rides to begin any day of the week, not just Mondays.
