Everything you want to know about OMNY’s new fare system

Penn Station in New York Launches New Tap-to-Pay Technology This marks the beginning of an end for MetroCard, which, until 2023, will be completely replaced by the new OMNY program. This publication reports Curbed.

At the end of May, MTA launched a pilot program for its new fare payment system called OMNY. Until 2023, it will completely replace the current MetroCard.

The new fare payment technology will be introduced in stages. This will allow employees of transit services to prepare for a smooth launch of the program, the source said.

With OMNY, passengers can use their contactless credit cards or mobile wallet on smartphones to pay for their fare.

“OMNY aims to save New Yorkers their most valuable commodity — their time,” said Pat Foyer, chairman of the MTA, at an event to launch the system at Bowling Green in Manhattan.

In the seven months since OMNY’s launch, New Yorkers and city visitors have used it over 4 million times, according to the MTA. The system was initially implemented at 16 subway stations on the 4, 5 and 6 lines in Manhattan and Brooklyn between Grand Central-42 Street and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center. The pilot program also covered all buses on Staten Island.

By the end of 2019, MTA will introduce this technology at 48 new metro stations.

Say this week, 34th Street-Penn Station installed 96 OMNY readers serving metro lines A, C, E and 1, 2, 3. In the near future, it will also cover Whitehall Street and South Ferry in Manhattan; 86th Street at Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue-JFK in Queens; St George and Tompkinsville on the Staten Island Railroad.

On the subject: Instead of MetroCard: New York Metro Launched Fare

New OMNY readers will also be installed: between the 51 and 125 streets on the 4, 5 and 6 lines; at the stop of the 138-th street on the 4-th line; at stations between Rector Street and the 59-th Columbus Circle street along the 1-th line.

The system will operate on a full fare basis until the end of the 2020 year, until each metro station, bus route and Staten Island railroad is equipped with new equipment.

Do you want to start using OMNY card as soon as possible or not, but you need to know something about the new payment system.

What does the name OMNY mean

The OMNY system stands for One Metro New York and is based on the omni prefix meaning "everything."

How the new system will work

With OMNY, passengers can use contactless credit cards (credit or debit) and smartphones connected to digital wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay for metro and bus fares.

Contactless cards allow you to make quick payments using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which is based on radio communications and provides contact between devices.

To determine if your bank cards are contactless, look for a symbol similar to the Wi-Fi icon on the side of the card. If not, you can change your card at the bank. Visit the MTA website to learn more about which cards and applications for digital wallets OMNY accepts.

It is also reported that for now, each passenger must pay the full fare. Later OMNY will introduce additional options that will save: weekly and monthly travel, special rates for schoolchildren and students, and other options that passengers currently use.

The new system offers the same two-hour free transfer as MetroCard, but in this case, passengers must adhere to one payment method - a contactless card or using a digital wallet.

Can cash be used

Not right away. OMNY will initially work with contactless cards and e-wallet applications. The MTA Contactless Transit Card will only be available in 2021 year.

Until then, those who do not have bank accounts or who prefer to use cash should continue to use MetroCard cards.

Initially, you will have to buy OMNY cards from retailers such as CVS and Rite Aid. Over time, they can be purchased at OMNY vending machines installed throughout the system.

What is an OMNY account and is it needed

Passengers can register for an OMNY account, which tracks up to 90 days of travel history and fees. She also offers other tools, such as managing payment methods. Check-in is not required, it's just another tool in the arsenal of passengers.

Say, it can be used to challenge charges in the event of unauthorized or incorrect accrual.

Why does MTA switch to contactless payment?

New York, as is often the case with transit, lags behind other cities in the world. Megacities such as London (Oyster Card) and Sydney (Opal Card) have already switched to the 21st-century tap-to-pay payment system.

In the current MetroCard system, a monthly subscription can be purchased at the price of $ 121. But only those who are able to pay upfront costs can take advantage of the savings. People with low incomes have no choice but to pay for the trip at a higher fare. However, transit supporters hope that OMNY, along with changes in the tariff policy, will be able to change this by limiting tariffs by day, week or month.

Switching to OMNY will also allow better integration into regional transit systems and will completely close the issue of boarding city buses. This, according to supporters of the new fare payment system, will help to significantly speed up bus service, reducing boarding time.