"The last day to buy or refill a MetroCard is Dec. 31, 2025, as the transit system fully transitions to OMNY, a contactless payment system that allows riders to tap their credit card, phone or other smart device to pay fares, much like they do for other everyday purchases. Transit officials say more than 90% of subway and bus trips are now paid using the tap-and-go system, introduced in 2019."
"The humble MetroCard may have outlasted its useful life, but in its day it was revolutionary, says Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, which opened an exhibit earlier this month reflecting on the MetroCard's legacy. Before MetroCards, bus and subway riders relied on tokens, the brass-colored coins introduced in 1953 that were purchased from station booths. When the subway opened in 1904, paper tickets cost just a nickel, or about $1.82 in today's dollars."
OMNY will fully replace the MetroCard, with the last day to buy or refill MetroCards set for Dec. 31, 2025. OMNY enables riders to tap credit cards, phones, or other smart devices to pay fares, and more than 90% of subway and bus trips now use the contactless tap-and-go system introduced in 2019. Other major cities, including London and Singapore, use similar systems, and several U.S. cities have adopted pay-go contactless fare technology. The MetroCard replaced tokens in 1994 and transformed fare payment practices in New York City.
Read at Fortune
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