These New Yorkers are among the last of a vanishing breed who swear by the swipe or the dip of a MetroCard. With the MTA in a transition to full OMNY tap-and-go technology, transit officials said Monday that one-third of last month\u2019s 146 million subway and bus riders remain MetroCard loyalists \u2014 even with sales of the yellow and blue fare cards set to end Dec. 31.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that we can\u2019t accept change,\u201d Margoth Moreno, 60, told THE CITY after swiping her MetroCard Tuesday at the 96th Street station along the 1, 2 and 3 lines. \u201cIt\u2019s just that we don\u2019t want to make the change \u2014 like me.\u201d Even as the holdouts realize the MetroCard\u2019s days are numbered, they hold on to the plastic fare cards that were initially introduced in January 1994 at two Lower Manhattan stations as the eventual successor to subway tokens, which took their final turnstile drops in May 2004.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just not where I need to be yet in terms of feeling comfortable with OMNY,\u201d said Juan Mendez, 49, who swiped his way past a turnstile at Times Square-42nd Street. \u201cThe MetroCard is a hard habit to break.\u201d Transit officials acknowledged as much during a series of presentations about the MTA\u2019s lengthy transition to tap-and-go fare payments, which can be made through mobile devices, bank cards or physical OMNY cards sold in station vending machines and at some stores.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hear from some of our customers, a small share, that having a physical fare media card is important to them,\u201d said Jessie Lazarus, MTA deputy chief of commercial ventures. \u201cAnd so these customers are going to keep using a MetroCard until an OMNY machine reaches their station and we pull the MetroCard machine out.\u201d That process hit a milestone over the weekend in Queens, when the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue\/74th Street, Court Square and 21st Street-Queensbridge stations became the first to be stripped entirely of MetroCard vending machines removed in favor of machines that allow riders to buy or refill OMNY cards. A rider uses a MetroCard machine next to an OMNY one at the Brooklyn Bridge station, April 30, 2025. Credit:<\/span> Ben Fractenberg\/THE CITY<\/span><\/p>\n More than 670 OMNY vending machines are presently installed in 325 stations, according to the MTA, which is aiming to have 40% fewer machines with the new system than it does with MetroCards, given the increased number of ways to pay for rides. \u201cWe\u2019re teaching customers how to buy and reload OMNY cards at these vending machines,\u201d Lazarus said. \u201cBut we\u2019re also informing them that with OMNY cards, now they can reload their cards online or at one of our local business retail partners when picking up a prescription at the pharmacy or buying milk at the bodega.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Jackson Heights hub on Tuesday morning, customer service workers guided confused riders trying to acclimate to using OMNY for the first time or buying tap-and-go cards from new-look vending machines. Still, skeptics abound among the devoted MetroCard users. \u201cI would rather have the MetroCard than the OMNY because I tried it before and I had a lot of problems,\u201d said Roberto Gonzalez, 70, after swiping into the station with a MetroCard.<\/p>\n Transit officials on Monday highlighted OMNY\u2019s increasing usage, pointing out how tap-and-go usage in the subway hit 70% in March \u2014 up from 43% two years earlier. Similarly, the share of tap-and-go fare payments on buses was at 59% in March, a 33-point increase from April 2023. \u201cThey do this because it\u2019s easy and it saves them time and it saves them money,\u201d Lazarus said. \u201cThey\u2019re not waiting at a vending machine line or worrying about how many trips to prepay on a MetroCard.\u201d Luis Ortiz is among the third of New York City Transit riders who remains a MetroCard loyalist, April 29, 2025. Credit:<\/span> Jose Martinez\/THE CITY<\/span><\/p>\n The MTA\u2019s transition to OMNY tap-and-go technology marks a significant shift in how New Yorkers pay for their subway and bus rides. While many have adapted to the new system, a loyal group of MetroCard users remains, clinging to the familiarity of their plastic fare cards. As the MTA phases out MetroCard sales and vending machines, these holdouts will eventually have to make the switch to OMNY. However, for now, they will continue to swipe and dip their way through the city\u2019s transit system.<\/p>\n Q: What is OMNY? Introduction to MetroCard Holdouts These New Yorkers are among the last of a vanishing breed who swear by the swipe or the dip of a MetroCard. With the MTA in a transition to full OMNY tap-and-go technology, transit officials said Monday that one-third of last month\u2019s 146 million subway and bus riders remain MetroCard loyalists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":17031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17030","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/www.thecity.nyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/042925_metrocards-2.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1279&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17030"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17030"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17032,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17030\/revisions\/17032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Transition Process<\/h2>\n
The Last Days<\/h2>\n
The Final Countdown<\/h3>\n
Benefits of OMNY<\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: OMNY is the MTA\u2019s new tap-and-go fare payment system, which allows riders to pay for their subway and bus rides using mobile devices, bank cards, or physical OMNY cards.
\nQ: Why are some riders still using MetroCards?
\nA: Some riders prefer the familiarity of MetroCards and are hesitant to switch to the new OMNY system.
\nQ: Will MetroCard sales be discontinued?
\nA: Yes, sales of MetroCards are set to end on December 31.
\nQ: Can I still use my MetroCard after December 31?
\nA: Yes, you can still use your existing MetroCard balance, but you will not be able to purchase new MetroCards.
\nQ: How do I get an OMNY card?
\nA: You can purchase an OMNY card at station vending machines or at some stores, or you can use your mobile device or bank card to pay for your rides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"