OMNY vs MetroCard: which travel card is more profitable in New York

The New York City Transportation Authority (MTA) charges OMNY users almost $200 more for annual trips than those who continue to use the MetroCard. Writes about it New York Post.

This is because the agency has yet to provide a monthly pass or cap fare for the new OMNY fare system, meaning that subway and bus riders are still not eligible for the best fare per ride.

“We know that the MTA has announced its intention to implement a monthly rate cap,” said Andrew Albert, MTA board member. “But we need to do it as early as possible to attract more people.”

Currently, the only discount the MTA provides through OMNY gives passengers free unlimited rides after they take the subway or bus 12 times a week from Monday to Sunday.

On the subject: New York bus and subway fares to rise this fall

OMNY will cost $34/week or $1768/year under the MTA's proposed rate hike this week.

The MTA proposal will increase the cost of a monthly MetroCard to $132, for a total of $1596 per year.

This means passengers using the MetroCard will save $172.

Indeed, The Post's analysis shows that the MTA's current fare structure for OMNY means that for the annual cost of monthly MetroCards, passengers will only get 47 weeks of travel.

A New Yorker must not ride the subway for five weeks to make up the difference between their monthly MetroCard and OMNY.

MTA officials have been saying for years that they intend to provide a series of passes or cap fares for OMNY that will reflect the prices offered through the MetroCard.

OMNY suffers from many years of delays due to failures and bugs in the underlying computer system.

The cost of the program jumped from $645 million to $772 million.

"The MTA must do everything possible to encourage people to switch to OMNY, including offering a full range of discounts," said Danny Pearlstein, Riders Alliance spokesman. “One of the reasons passengers still can't sit down and pay at the back of the bus, even if there are readers, is that too few passengers use OMNY, according to the MTA. However, the reason so many passengers stick with the MetroCard is because the MTA doesn't offer discounts."

The Pearlstein Group and other major public transit advocacy groups are actively pushing for all-door boarding as one way the MTA can expedite service.

According to experts, this will reduce travel time by as much as 10% by speeding up the process of getting on and off the bus.