"After 32 years, it's time to say goodbye to the MetroCard and go all in the fare payment system of the future." ~ Janno Leber, MTA Chair and CEO. He also added, "Goodbye, MetroCard. You served us well, but it's time to retire you to the Transit Museum to spend many happy days with your old friend, Mr. Token."
Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namasté. 🧘🏽♀️ Today is a sad day at MTA and the Metro Cards are retiring after thirty-one years after replacing the iconic brass subway tokens in 2003. I am not a fan of the ONMY (One Metro New York) cards, and I'll mention reasons why shortly! I favor the Metro Cards for several reasons, 1) Budget Tracking: Pay-per-ride cards physically display your exact remaining balance, taking the guesswork out of how much money is left. 2) Unlimited Ride Passes: They offer 7-day and 30-day unlimited options, which are highly cost-effective for frequent daily commuters. I love the freedom I get when I spend $66 for thirty days since I have Fair Fare and for those without Fair Fare, you're spending $132 per thirty days versus $66 dollars per thirty days. $17.50 per seven days and $34 per seven days. 3) You didn't have to ask for a transfer like the way you do with the OMNY card. 4) No Tech Required: It's ideal for tourists who aren't familiar with NYC Transit. The cons of Metro Cards: Swipe Errors: The magnetic stripes are prone to demagnetization, wear, and physical damage, leading to frustrating "Please swipe again" errors at turnstiles. I feel that the OMNY cards are the complete opposite what Metro Cards both are and were. MTA wants people to spend more so we, the straphangers can make up for tare evaders since the current fare stands at $2.90 for regular bus and subway, express bus is $7. Starting January 04, 2026, MTA bus and subway will increase from $2.90 to $3 bucks and $7 to $7.25 on express buses and reduced fare to $1.50. Since I'm currently working two jobs and having that monthly Metro Card helped greatly so I can continue doing what I have to do. Everyone's situations are different and from my perspective, having a monthly Metro Card puts my mind at ease because I don't have to worry about being at the train station weekly refilling my Metro Card. If you get the weekly unlimited Metro Card for $34 dollars each week, you are essentially spending $136 dollars per month when you could get the monthly for $132 each month. If you have Fair Fare, you're spending $17.50 per week and what I'm trying to say is you're pretty much spending $70 per month when you could simply pay $66 per month and still save yourself $4 either way per month!
I can't speak for other straphangers relying on public transportation, but I feel the OMNY is rightfully downright ridiculous and a rip off since it doesn't automatically put transfers onto your OMNY cards compared to the MetroCard. There are bus drivers who don't want to give transfers when you ask them for a transfer upon paying and will flat out tell you that your OMNY cards provide transfers! Yeah right, you're just lazy (just saying). Since I currently dislike the OMNY card as a direct result of not being able to have or add for the month since the monthly unlimited MetroCard works best in my favor since I work for the Parks Department as a POP Worker and although the job pays well for forty hours per week (eighty hours at payday every fourteen days) and I currently work two jobs. I've included four articles for you to read at your own leisure! Some riders claim MTA's OMNY system is overcharging. Here's why the agency says not to worry; MTA announces that iconic MetroCards will be replaced by OMNY by the end of '25: 'You served us well'; MTA boss gets the price of a MetroCard wrong while flippantly touting tap-to-ride switchover; and New York subway ends its MetroCard era and switches fully to tap-and-go fares. Though pay day is every fourteen days over at Parks Department, having the monthly unlimited fare greatly helps and I feel it works best for me as a method of personal choice. Do what works best for you and your current budget! Let me know if it's just me but it seems like we're spending more money with these OMNY cards instead of being financially resourceful whenever needed just to make up for people who evade fare and I completely understand why, however, the MTA should improve their service daily to ease frustration for those who heavily rely on public transportation. I may not agree with retiring the MetroCard and what works for people on a budget [yes, even those of us with Fair Fare] such as myself. I'm doing my best to be mindfully aware of my budget, and it is not easy as it sounds or looks!
What I dislike about the OMNY cards as a con and here is why! When you use your OMNY card, it does not show you how much you have left on your OMNY card without having to either log onto an account or having to wait on that long line just to check your current available balance! 2) OMNY unfortunately does not have that unlimited ride pass either weekly or monthly which I personally find to be frustrating and an added inconvenience when I have bigger fish to fry. 3) It seems like we are spending more money with the OMNY and the idea of having a car doesn't make it any easier when there's already added expenses involved (there's pros and cons to having a car but yes, you have the freedom to come and go as you please which is the only positive side to having a car if you catch my drift). Everything is going up but our paychecks! It must be nice being CEO for the MTA and riding around in limousines smoking their expensive cigars while us straphangers are left picking up the tab for fare evaders and we're left having to pay more. It's a fucking shame I must add.
If you ask me if I believe commuters are winning or losing with OMNY and I will say this, in my humble opinion, we are fucking losing with OMNY as a direct result of not having different options on works best for us, the straphangers instead of the other way around. The MTA is only doing this because it benefits them more than it benefits us since we're paying their salary, we should have a say whether or not the MTA likes it. If we as a collective overturn the MTA and speak up by boycotting the MTA into having them keep the MetroCards available with the unlimited weekly or monthly options, we're fucking golden. If we speak up, complain, and make enough noise, I don't know how much of a difference this will make if we want the MetroCards back. I don't know how much noise people made at these hearings but it seemed like no matter how much we speak up, complain and it's still going to fall on deaf ears either way. 🤷🏽♀️
It was fun while it lasted! Although, the MTA should bring back the MetroCard. I'm just saying.
Blessed be,
Jennifer
