I’m not sure why the news of this upcoming phase out is hitting me so hard. I’m not someone that uses subway travel regularly, and to be very honest, the New York City subway system as a whole is more confusing to me than quantum physics.
Yet still it feels like a piece of us, as New Yorkers, will soon be gone.
So Long, Metro Card…
A few weeks ago I spent a few days in NYC for a work conference, and must admit, I was mortified when my card didn’t register on the first pass through, especially as I struggled to get through the turnstile with my luggage on wheels and backpack – yes it was everything you’re imagining it was.
What I did notice, though, going through the turnstile, is that I was one of very few actually still using a paper MetroCard, many people were using something on their phones to pay for subway fare.
Now, just a few weeks later, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced that the same of MetroCards will end on December 31st following 32 years of use (remember subway tokens before that?), and an app-based system will be its replacement…