The MTA’s new OMNY card is now available in select retail stores starting October 1.
But hidden in the MTA’s terms of service for the new OMNY cards there is a $ 5 surcharge to activate them. That compares to the $ 1 surcharge that riders pay for a new MetroCard. The $ 5 surcharge is non-refundable at least for now.
Plastic cards can be purchased or reloaded with cash or a credit card in a still small but growing number of retail stores. Passengers can set up an OMNY account online to top up their cards or go to a store to top up with cash.
MTA officials said OMNY vending machines will be installed in subway stations starting in March 2022, giving passengers the option to reload their cards with cash without having to go to a store.
At first glance, the surcharge is not unusual. The OMNY program is run by technology company Cubic, which operates similar touch-and-pay transit fare systems in cities like London and Chicago.
Chicago’s system, called Ventra, also imposes a $ 5 surcharge for a new plastic card, but that fee is refunded once the card is posted to the passenger’s online account.
That is not the case in New York, although MTA officials said they are working on the issue.
“We are actively exploring ways to refund the OMNY card charge to customers, including a $ 5 travel credit or return $ 5 when a customer returns the card to an OMNY card point of sale,” said MTA spokesperson. , Aaron Donovan.
“In the meantime, passengers can continue to use MetroCards when paying with cash or contactless phones and credit cards for OMNY payments,” he added.
The new fare system is scheduled to replace the MetroCard in late 2023.
The system is already in operation in all metro and bus stations in the city. Unlimited seven- or 30-day transit passes remain exclusive to MetroCards. OMNY users can only pay per trip.
Until the cards were released last week, OMNY could only be used by passengers with smartphones or contactless credit cards. The cards mark the first attempt by MTA officials to offer a cash option for OMNY, but the surcharge drew criticism as an attack on passengers without bank accounts.
“New technology shouldn’t make the subway and buses less affordable for passengers,” said Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the advocacy group Riders Alliance. “The governor and the MTA must figure this out.”
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