For those that don’t know, starting on Wednesday, Dec. 31, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will officially replace their iconic MetroCard with One Metro New York (OMNY), a new payment method for riders to navigate New York City through its public transportation system.
The new OMNY system began back in May 2019. People could either tap with their bank cards or the OMNY card to get onto transportation. According to the MTA, the purpose of OMNY is to modernize the payment system and reduce travel expenses for commuters to ride around the city. However, riders aren’t happy with this new system. According to statistics, 74% of riders have reported having difficulties with OMNY. Many online users have expressed their outrage over this new system. Commuters have also expressed their frustration with OMNY on radio station 1010 Wins, claiming they’ve experienced more trouble than before. Some say they are spending much more money than they would with a MetroCard, citing a lack of help from MTA staff and glitches in the system.
One of the difficulties riders are facing is difficulty accessing the “unlimited swipe period.” With a MetroCard, unlimited plans were offered where riders would pay either $34 for a seven-day period or $132 for a 30-day period, and riders would have access to the public buses and subways as many times as they wanted throughout their chosen period. Instead of offering the same unlimited plan the MetroCard had, riders now have to tap 12 times with their bank or OMNY card within a seven day period to automatically obtain the unlimited access throughout the next seven day period.
Even with this new system, there have been difficulties obtaining the new unlimited period with OMNY. Some riders complained about not getting the unlimited plan as it was stated. Many online users have expressed confusion on how the system works. One user claimed via Reddit that they tapped their card after a seven day period and instead of obtaining the unlimited rides as they were told they would, negative fares were being charged into their card. With MetroCards, commuters would save at least hundreds of dollars a year; now with OMNY, commuters who seek the unlimited period will have to pay more than they used to, which isn’t convenient.
There are also times when the tap-and-go machines don’t work. The machines either can’t read the OMNY or are turned off. According to The New York Times, at least 40% of people claimed their OMNY payments would fail to read which is why riders would tap twice. If not the OMNY cards, their bank cards would sometimes be charged late.
Not only do riders find delayed deductions from their cards, but sometimes they encounter unrelated fare charges. According to CBS and online users, riders have experienced their accounts being charged with fares they haven’t taken.
With this new shift to OMNY, commuters will be facing more difficulties navigating public transportation. The MTA would either have to fix some of the issues that were reported by riders or add more plans that will help riders navigate their way through the city. One of the things MTA should definitely bring back is the unlimited plan that the MetroCards offered. This would be a great benefit for commuters who take public transit almost every day, that way they don’t have to spend as much money as they’re currently spending on OMNY.
By the beginning of next year, there will be no more MetroCards. The MTA has already been replacing the majority of the MetroCard machines with OMNY machines. Anyone that’s currently in the city that is interested in keeping a MetroCard, get them now before they’re all gone.
