MTA’s Contactless MetroCard Replacement At Nearly All Subways

NEW YORK CITY — The contactless fare payment system that will replace the iconic MetroCard is now at nearly every subway station in the city, MTA officials said.

Shiny black OMNY readers have been installed at 458 of 472 subway stations, according to a MTA release. The handful of stations without the tap-to-pay system will have the readers’ blue glow by the end of December, officials said.

“No more failed MetroCard swipes. Just tap and go,” said Al Putre, OMNY executive for MTA, in a statement. “We are rapidly approaching completion of the rollout across subway stations and buses, while simultaneously moving forward with the next major phases of this project that will provide customers with a world class, modernized approach to paying their fare."

MTA officials plan to replace the MetroCard with OMNY in 2023.

The system allows straphangers to use their smartphone, smart watch or contactless bank card to tap out a single-ride fare.

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The readers went into stations starting in 2019 and have become a near-ubiquitous sight near turnstiles, most recently on the F and G lines, officials said. They now account for 10 percent of all payments in MTA’s system with more than 30 million taps, according to a release.

Buses in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island all have the system. Officials plan to put them on all buses during the rollout’s the next stage.

They’ll also add more payment options in the future and give riders the chance to pay cash as well, officials said.