You may not have noticed, but the “convenience” of paying with the OMNY system costs New York subway and MTA bus users about $200 a year more than the traditional MetroCard.
This is because the agency has not yet created an unlimited ride fare option for OMNY, which the MetroCard does have when purchased for 7-day or 30-day validity, regardless of when they are activated.
“We know that the MTA has signaled their intention to have a monthly payment limit product,” he told the New York Post Andrew Albert, MTA board member. “But we need to get this out there sooner rather than later so more people will switch.”
OMNY only offers that after 12 paid trips ($2.75 each) starting on a Monday, the following are free until midnight on Sunday. The convenience is that it does not have to be recharged, but is paid with a credit card that could be linked to the carrier’s phone. That would total $34 per week ($1,768 per year), based on the MTA’s proposed fare increases last week.
The MTA proposal would increase the cost of a monthly MetroCard to $132, which is equivalent to $1,596 times twelve to cover the year. That means riders using the fare system the MTA wants to retire would save $172 if they kept their monthly MetroCard.
The analysis of New York Post shows that a New Yorker would have to avoid public transportation for five weeks each year to make up the difference between the monthly MetroCard and OMNY.
MTA officials have said for years that they intend to provide a series of discounts for OMNY that would reflect the prices offered to riders through the MetroCard. However, the agency has only implemented the format of 12 trips counted from a Monday.
OMNY has been plagued by years of delays due to computer system glitches and errors. Its cost has jumped from $645 million to $772 million.
“The MTA should be doing everything it can to encourage people to switch to OMNY, including offering the full range of discounts,” said Danny Pearlstein, the chief spokesman for Riders Alliance, a rider advocacy group.
At the same time, MTA faces losses of $690 million dollars annually due to the increasing number of users who access the Metro and buses without paying. In January, an estimated 3,400 homeless people were living in subway cars and stations.
The “Fair Fares” program is offered by the city so that low-income New Yorkers pay half the fare on public transportation, the same as that applied for students, people with disabilities and people over 65 years of age.
Income requirements are based on federal poverty levels and consider pay stubs, tax returns, or information from other programs, such as unemployment or food benefits. Check eligibility for the program here.