Disposable passes in the subway of New York will turn into unlimited: MTA is preparing an unprecedented action

Urban transit customers who can't afford an unlimited MetroCard will soon get one for nothing. About the new plan of the New York Transportation Administration (MTA) told the publication NY Daily News.

On October 27, representatives of the MTA announced that they plan to launch a pilot project to limit tariffs next year. It automatically converts single-use passes to reusable ones if the passenger has already spent enough money.

The program will work through a contactless fare payment system Omny. Currently, this system can only be used for single trips. It should completely replace the MetroCard by the end of 2023.

Seven-day and 30-day unlimited MetroCards cost $33 and $127, respectively. An OMNY passenger who spends the equivalent value of one of these passes within the applicable time periods will automatically receive an unlimited pass.

“That's what we hope to do,” MTA General Account Manager Sarah Meyer said at a press conference. “We only need a couple of months to work out all the logistics.”

Any change in tariff policy must be approved by the MTA board. Acting Chairman Janno Lieber said he has set up a working group to look into "every possible use of OMNY."

On the subject: New OMNY fare cards: how much they cost, where they are sold and who needs them

For years, passenger rights advocates and elected officials have complained that the MTA's harsh fare policy unfairly imposes additional costs on poor New Yorkers who cannot afford to buy a pass, but end up paying for single trips even more.

For now, to use OMNY, passengers must have a credit or debit card, a smartphone, or find a physical OMNY card, which can be purchased at select retailers. Officials MTA next year, they plan to install OMNY vending machines at subway stations.