MetroCard

MetroCard
LocationNew York City, United States
Launched1993
SuccessorOMNY
Technology
OperatorMetropolitan Transportation Authority
ManagerMetropolitan Transportation Authority
CurrencyUSD ($100[a] maximum load)
Stored-valuePay-Per-Ride
Auto rechargeEasyPayXPress
Unlimited useUnlimited Ride
Validity
Retailed
Variants
  • SingleRide
    Reduced-Fare
    Student
Websitehttp://web.mta.info/metrocard

The MetroCard is a magnetic stripe card used for fare payment on transportation in the New York City area. It is a payment method for the New York City Subway (including the Staten Island Railway), New York City Transit buses and MTA buses. The MetroCard is also accepted by several partner agencies: Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE), the PATH train system, the Roosevelt Island Tramway, AirTrain JFK, and Westchester County's Bee-Line Bus System.

The MetroCard was introduced in 1993 to enhance the technology of the transit system and eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting tokens. The MTA discontinued the use of tokens in the subway on May 3, 2003,[2] and on buses on December 31, 2003.

The MetroCard is expected to be phased out by 2025.[3] It will be replaced by OMNY, a contactless payment system where riders pay for their fare by waving or tapping credit or debit bank cards, smartphones, or MTA-issued smart cards.[4]

The MetroCard is managed by a division of the MTA known as Revenue Control, MetroCard Sales, which is part of the Office of the Executive Vice President. The MetroCard Vending Machines are manufactured by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.[5]

As of early 2019, the direct costs of the MetroCard system had totaled $1.5 billion.[6]

  1. ^ About the $1 New Card Fee, MTA.info
  2. ^ "Fare Change Information 2003". thejoekorner.com. New York City Transit. 2003. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (April 24, 2023). "OMNY machines rolling out at subway stations this summer as phase-out of MetroCard delayed indefinitely | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Barron, James (October 23, 2017). "New York to Replace MetroCard With Modern Way to Pay Transit Fares". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "Cubic Transportation Systems". cubic.com.
  6. ^ McClain, Noah (January 3, 2019). "CityViews: Yes, Fare Evasion Costs the MTA. But What About the Costs of Fare Control?". City Limits. Retrieved January 5, 2021.


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