For nearly three decades and approximately 3.4 million New Yorkers every day, the act of swiping a MetroCard at a subway turnstile has been as much a part of New York City life as hailing a cab or grabbing a breakfast bagel. Maybe you still remember your first swipe during Welcome Week, or the first time picking one up off the ground, hoping it had enough money for a free ride.
However, with the rise of Apple Pay and other phone wallet systems, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has made the decision to completely phase out the yellow MetroCards starting Dec. 31, 2025 in favor of the contactless tap-and-go system known as One Metro New York or OMNY. 75% of commuters have already jumped onto the new system, with the agency’s chief executive Janno Lieber saying that the switch could save the city $20 million in MetroCard production and distribution costs. But despite its efficiency, phasing the system out poses an unnecessary accessibility problem that alienates disadvantaged groups in the city and marks the loss of one of New York City’s most recognizable cultural touchstones.
Since 2021, OMNY contactless card readers have lined every subway station and bus entrance in the city — bringing the total number of card readers to about 15,000. Riders tap their smartphone, smartwatch or credit card against the readers and sideline the ritual of swiping a MetroCard in favor of speed. For some, it’s a seamless adjustment, meaning no more fumbling with bendable cards at the turnstile or tediously long lines at MetroCard vending machines. For others, it’s a difficult adjustment that upends one’s daily commute and makes it harder to ride the subway.
Roughly 300,000 New York City households remain unbanked, meaning they do not have a registered checking account and therefore can’t operate OMNY’s tap systems. For those experiencing homelessness, using OMNY isn’t a viable option either since they are less likely to have both smartphones and also tend to be unbanked. Unbanked households are also disproportionately represented by poorer families, with almost a quarter of New York City households whose annual income is under $30,000 not having their own bank account — unsurprising, given that one of the most common reasons most report not having a bank account is because they can’t meet the balance requirement.
Seniors who struggle with apps and contactless banking warn that they could be left behind in a system built for digital payments. Those who qualify for half-cost fares through the Fair Fares program have complained about no longer being able to see their balance immediately, and payments becoming harder to track. While the MTA has made a weak effort to bridge the gap with a reloadable OMNY card, awareness around access remains turbulent for those who are less savvy with technology.
Many commuters have already complained about the flawed OMNY system. A mid-2025 survey by the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee found nearly three-quarters of surveyed riders had issues recently with tap-and-go technology. The most common complaint by far was the prevalence of failed taps, which could result in delayed responses, overbilling and flat-out missing your train.
One of OMNY’s biggest selling points is that riders don’t need to pay fares after 12 rides in a seven day period — but many still found extra charges in their account. If OMNY can’t even deliver on its biggest promotion, then how can it be a reliable system for the millions of riders it services per day?
OMNY is the MTA’s vision of modernization: faster boarding, less maintenance and a system aligned with global transit hubs like London and Tokyo, where contactless payment has been the norm for years. But issues like aging infrastructure, delayed trains and unsafe riding experiences have turned many away from using the subway — and in light of that, the abrupt change to retire the MetroCard feels out of touch and disconnected from the community it serves.
All indications point to the fact that the OMNY system still has kinks needing to be worked out, issues which could be avoided entirely if the MetroCard option remained in service. Instead of working to phase the MetroCard out, it would be prudent for the MTA to address problems that improve ridership and subway accessibility to ensure public transit remains a tool for everyone.
Out of those who experienced issues, a clear majority of them were left with frustratingly long customer service waits or unclear explanations from the chat feature on OMNY’s website, ultimately leaving without resolving the initial problem. These growing pains are understandable with the implementation of a new system like OMNY, and could very well continue to exist even after the MetroCard is phased out. The easiest way to ameliorate these pains is to keep the backup option of the MetroCard in place, allowing anyone to bypass the glitches involved in New York’s updating transit systems.
The MetroCard wasn’t perfect, but it was universal, serving as a reliable backup and never running out of battery. Anyone could buy one, and anyone could use one. The move from the MetroCard to OMNY is framed as a win, and in some ways is faster and more aligned with the pace of a digital city. However, New York City and the OMNY system should not be so quick to phase out a card that has served the community effectively since 1994 with little change or optimization.
WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.
Contact Elena Meves at [email protected].