As New York prepares to retire the MetroCard after more than three decades of use, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is reminding riders that Dec. 31 ia the final day to purchase the iconic yellow fare card. In anticipation of a surge of last-minute transitions, the MTA is offering 102 mobile opportunities for customers—particularly those in bus-dependent neighborhoods—to transfer MetroCard balances to OMNY cards before the phase-out.
The push is part of the citywide transition to Tap and Ride, the contactless fare system that has steadily replaced swiping with a quicker, more reliable tap. To support that shift, the agency is dispatching its fleet of mobile sales vans and buses throughout all five boroughs and Westchester County, offering on-the-spot assistance to riders who still need help making the switch.
“Mobile sales vehicles gave riders a quick and easy way to make the switch to OMNY,” MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said in a press release. She emphasized that the agency wanted every New Yorker to access the system’s benefits—from tap-based speed to the popular fare-capping feature, which prevents riders from paying more than the cost of an unlimited weekly pass if they tap frequently…