As New York City’s subway riders face the impending retirement of the MetroCard, the transition to the OMNY payment system is hitting some bumps. A survey conducted by the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, which serves as an independent watchdog, has uncovered a swell of discontent amongst commuters. According to CBS News New York, 74% of the 400 riders surveyed reported issues with OMNY, dealing with unresponsive readers, late charges, and perceived overcharges.
Specifically, the survey found that 42% of participants faced failures when trying to register payment at fare gates, while 34% were subjected to charges hours or even days later. Furthermore, 31% believed they were overcharged. Brian Fritsch from the PCAC highlighted the timeline of these troubles, mentioning “a concentration of issues right around beginning of June,” a period coincident with an OMNY software update that saw complaints spilling over onto social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit.
Despite these reports, the MTA’s Deputy Chief of Commercial Ventures, Jessie Lazarus, countered the survey’s results, stating that more extensive research by the MTA painted a different picture. “It’s hard to take seriously a tiny online push poll when twice a year for the last three years we’ve asked over 70,000 riders how they feel and tap-and-go crushes MetroCard every time,” Lazarus told CBS News New York. The agency provided figures from their research showing that 84% of subway users and 87% of bus riders were satisfied with OMNY…