New York Tries to Bring the Subway Fare Into the 21st Century
Beset by decay and delays, the nation’s largest transit system is spending $540 million to ditch the swipe card. This isn’t the first time it’s been tried.
A trial program to replace the New York City MetroCard reached 1 million rides in just 2 1/2 months, the Metropolitan Transit Authority announced Tuesday. But whether this latest effort to bring Gotham’s dysfunctional, 115-year-old underground into the 21st century can work system-wide is another matter entirely.
Modeled on payment technology used in London and Chicago, the $540 million OMNY system allows New York commuters to scan credit or debit cards (as well as smartphones and smartwatches) instead of using the ubiquitous yellow card. The frustration of swiping and reswiping as your train leaves the station will be a thing of the past. Or at least that’s the hope.