New York City students are selling free annual subway passes given to them by the city online

New York City students are selling their new OMNY free travel cards online for up to $1500. The cards cover four rides a day on the subway or bus. The rides are valid all day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, reports NYPost.

Over 1,5 million OMNY cards have been issued sent to schools early this school year for distribution as part of a new $5,5 million program from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the city's Department of Education (DOE).

Within hours of receiving them, New York City schoolchildren became black market traders.

They started exhibiting cards for sale on Facebook Marketplace. In the ads, schoolchildren ask for between $35 and $1500 for the card.

As of September 13, reporters counted 34 listings on Facebook Marketplace, and one kid on TikTok bragged about selling his card for $100 to an “old fool.”

Enterprising schoolchildren

"Each card costs $4234," wrote one clever student at a high school in Midwood, Brooklyn. He was asking $200 for his.

In the ads, the schoolchildren asked potential buyers to pay only in cash.
A Brooklyn student was selling two OMNY cards and a bag of weed on her Facebook Marketplace account. She dropped the initial asking price from $700 to $500 to potential riders. The pass was eventually marked as sold at the reduced price of $200.

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"Get both for $300 or one for $170," read a Marketplace listing posted by another student selling two cards.

“Unlimited rides and transfers,” a Queens student promised in an online ad selling the pass for $100.

Another person sold his card for only $65.

Experiment

Students can report their OMNY passes as lost or stolen and request a replacement from their school. The old card will then be deactivated, leaving the purchaser with an invalid pass.

One young entrepreneur even admitted in his ad that he got a new card and is selling the old one. He could potentially scam someone out of $270.

Journalists secretly arranged a meeting with a student who was selling OMNY passes.

He insisted that he was given one card and could not get a replacement. At first, he declined an offer from journalists to buy the card for $35. But he jumped at the counter offer of $75. The student agreed to pay via Apple Pay.

He, like several other sellers, assured the "buyer" that once activated, the card could not be deactivated.

But when he showed his OMNY pass, the turnstile rejected it. "Card not accepted," the screen flashed red.

Two hours later, the listing was marked as "sold." The author later said he got rid of his useless card for $35.

Risky scam

“OMNY school cards that appear online are being deactivated. They are worth zero. So beware,” warned MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifa Riera. “For those who think they can pay for unauthorized cards to pose as students, we have a bridge in Brooklyn we can sell you.”

It is unclear, however, how the MTA will identify cards sold online. Most have hidden serial numbers and sellers use fake names.

The DOE webpage states: "Your OMNY student card is for you — and you alone! Do not share it or your pass may be confiscated."

The consequences of fraud

Unauthorized sale of a pass is a Class B misdemeanor and can result in up to three months in jail, fines, or community service. Free or discounted OMNY benefits cannot be sold or transferred, according to the system's terms of service. Doing so will result in the MTA pass being revoked.
There must be safeguards against abuse of the program, as one New York dad said.

"There is no benefit to kids selling their OMNY cards. It's not good, but I think it's inevitable," he said.

Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, believes the city could solve this problem. All you need is an ID and a photo on OMNY student cards.

Hannah Meyers, director of law enforcement and public safety at the Manhattan Institute, sees the fraud as part of a rise in youth crime.

Her research using NYPD data found that robbery arrests among children under 18 increased 45% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Grand thefts among the same group increased more than 80%.

Even students who aren't trying to make a quick buck with OMNY cards recognize their value, with many bragging about their benefits on social media.

"Using the new OMNY card to go everywhere except school," one student wrote on social media in a post with heart emojis.