Unlimited OMNY Subway, Bus Fare Taps Start After 12 Trips: MTA

NEW YORK CITY — Fare thee well, MetroCards — the contactless OMNY payment system soon will give straphangers unlimited trips after 12 taps.

The long-awaited fare capping pilot will start seven days a week starting Feb. 28, MTA officials said.

The program will eliminate subway and bus riders' questions about whether to pre-purchase unlimited or weekly fares, or keep using the OMNY tap-to-pay system, said Janno Lieber, the transit agency's chair and CEO, on Monday.

“After 12 rides as we say, 13 is your lucky number,” he said. “Everything past 12 rides in a week starting on Monday is going to be free.”

Unlimited weekly rides for OMNY customers isn't the only change in fares that Lieber and other MTA officials announced.

Starting Feb. 25, LIRR and Metro-North commuter rail passengers can buy a 20-trip option or a monthly ticket at a 10 percent reduced price.

And for New York City dwellers, the MTA will offer a flat $5, off-peak ticket for commuter train trips within the city.

“That means a parent, somebody who’s the parent of small kids living in southeast Queens can take the railroad to Penn Station as well as to Atlantic now off-peak for that incredibly discounted $5 flat fare,” Lieber said.

Sarah Meyer, the MTA's chief customer officer, noted that many city dwellers in places underserved by the subways can actually shave time off many trips.

“You can save 20 minutes, 30 minutes off of your commute,” she said.

The fare promotions will last at least four months and become permanent if they're successful, Lieber said. He said officials hope the new prices will not only bring more fairness to prices for New Yorkers, but also encourage more riders to return to the system

Roughly 3 million people a day ride the subways and buses, down from about 5 million daily trips pre-coronavirus, Lieber said.