MTA to Phase Out Metro Cards

New York City’s transit agency, the MTA, is changing how bus and subway passengers pay their fares, phasing out its MetroCard in favor of something more modern.

An MTA committee on Monday approved a $573 million contract for a new payment system. Instead of swiping their MetroCards, the new system will allow riders to use their cellphones or certain types of debit or credit cards to pay their fares directly at turnstiles.

Officials say the plan is to fully retire the MetroCard by 2023. Until then, riders will still be able to use it.

15 Comments

    • Great Idea

      Great idea. Ridership will drastically increase. Car traffic will decrease. Congestion and pollution will decrease. It’s worth the taxpayers’ money. If the government can do free college in NY, they should surely also be able to do free mass transit.

    • ahavasyisroel

      ridership will increase, subways will pack people in like sardines, subways will break down and then nobody will use the subway again

  • l.m.

    using cell phones will slow process
    will be giving too much information with cellphone and or credit cards

  • Uncle Mendel

    I have, and intend on continuing using, an old fashioned cell phone. It has, by the way, ALL the numbers.
    It does the job. So what happens to me?

    • Milhouse

      You’ll use a credit card, or a similar card issued by the MTA, like most other cities have.

    • Berel

      the old fashioned cell phones will soon be impossible to find. as it is, those in circulation support only the legacy radio frequencies and barely. nobody’s producing new dumb phones to work on the cellular industry’s latest and greatest. sad but true.

  • Not a good idea

    I foresee more phones being stolen and sensitive information being compromised :-/

    Happy I moved out of NY and don’t deal with that anymore

  • how about

    but how about people who dont have smart phones or credit cards. lets take your average yeshivah bachur 15-18 yrs. if he listens to his yeshvah he doesnt have a smart phone. nor does he have a credit card cuz what do he need it for? so what will people like this do?

  • ahavasyisroel

    It is so hard to know how much you have on your metrocards. But this needs to work with cash

  • cher

    i am also against this idea of banning metrocards for cell phones & credit cards what i would do is i would carry 2 cell phones with me one cell phone is used only for paying the fare & nothing else(no sensitive information stored on it)& my other cell phone for everything else.this way if my cell phone which is only for paying the fare gets stolen the thief doesn,t have any of my personal information just some free rides.
    i am also against this idea but that is what i will have to do just to get on the bus or subway.