MTA shows off new tap-based OMNY pay system that will replace MetroCard
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The MTA showed off its new tap-based payment system, known as OMNY, at a board meeting in Lower Manhattan Wednesday.
The system, short for One Metro New York, will eventually replace the MetroCard and will allow riders to pay with a fare card linked to a bank account, a mobile wallet payment, or the MTA app.
"We anticipate having some variances, not large, because we have done such extensive testing already," OMNY executive director Al Putre said. "But that's the goal, to eliminate any potential variances."
The system will allow riders to tap their way into the subway system, and it is scheduled to debut at 16 subway stations along the 4, 5 and 6 lines in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as all Staten Island buses, by the end of May.
"You don't have to wait in line to fill your card all the time," straphanger Keith Gilman said. "It's like an E-ZPass for the train."
Readers are also being installed at the Bowling Green subway station, across from MTA headquarters, for testing.
While many say they like the new approach, others had concerns about security.
"A little bit, because, you know, with all the hacking that goes on," rider Jessica Burrowes said. "So that's a little nerve-racking."
MetroCards will still be around until 2023.
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