OMNY
Latest
New York delays contactless subway payments until December
The One Metro New York (OMNY) system was supposed to be available across NYC’s entire subway system by October, but coronavirus-related concerns forced the local government to halt its installation. According to The Wall Street Journal, the MTA had to suspend the installation of OMNY’s digital readers out of concern that workers could become infected by the virus. While work on the contactless payment system — something that would be immensely helpful to have right now — resumed in May, installation now won’t be complete until the end of December.
Finally, I can use my iPhone to ride the NYC subway
This morning, as I've done regularly since moving to New York City years ago, I left my Brooklyn apartment to head to Engadget headquarters in Manhattan. In an ideal world, I would've been able to use my iPhone to get through the turnstile at my nearby subway station. But, even though the MTA is now supporting contactless payments services such as Apple Pay, only a handful of stations and buses have so far been upgraded to the new One Metro New York (OMNY) system. The one close to my apartment isn't one of them. Still, I wanted to get the full experience beyond a quick demo from Apple. Thankfully, there's a subway station near our office that has the tap-to-pay turnstiles.
Samsung Pay will work on some NYC trains and buses starting today
A momentous thing is happening in New York City today: They're finally fixing the subway! Just kidding, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is rolling out contactless payments for select stations and bus lines. (Because that will address overcrowding, broken air conditioners and aging signal systems!) We already knew that Apple, Google and Fitbit's payment systems would each be supported, and today we're learning that Samsung is a-go too. If Samsung's press release seems light on details, that's because it's the MTA that's charting a course toward a new system that only uses contactless payment methods. The agency's plan is called One Metro New York, or OMNY for short, and today's limited roll-out represents just one early step. The big milestone for 2020 will be enabling mobile ticketing through a forthcoming OMNY app. That move alone would help bring the MTA in line with other public transportation systems, including New York's own Metro North and Long Island Railroad. Looking further ahead, in 2021, the MTA plans to issue a new card that's meant to ultimately replace the yellow swipeable one we use today. That will be available at unspecified retail locations to start, and will expand to vending machines in subway and commuter rail stations by 2022. And, if all goes according to plan, the MTA will retire the swipeable card in 2023. For now, OMNY is only available on Staten Island buses and 4, 5, and 6 stations between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Grand Central. Again, you can use it with other payment systems too, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Fitbit Pay. It'll also work with contactless credit and debit cards. Check it out if you're so inclined, and remember: be safe, don't look anyone in the eye and avoid the pole-dancing rats.
Fitbit devices can pay for your NYC bus or subway ride
Add Fitbit to the growing list of device makers that will support tap-to-pay in New York City's mass transit system. When the city's contactless fare pilot program starts on May 31st, Fitbit Pay-equipped wearables like the Versa Special Edition, Charge 3 Special Edition and Ionic will let you pay per ride on the MTA's Staten Island buses as well as the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines running between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center. You could use your watch to track your gym session one moment and get a ride home the next, in other words.
Apple Pay will work on NYC subways and buses starting May 31st
Ever since I moved to New York City nearly ten years ago, I've had to buy physical MetroCards to ride the subway almost every day. But last week, for the first time ever, I didn't have to swipe my card to get trough the turnstile and catch my train. Instead, the entire process was done on an iPhone, thanks to a demo I tried of the Apple Pay Express Transit feature -- one that will start rolling out to MTA subway and bus stations on Friday, May 31st. This contactless system, which also works with Apple Watch, is as seamless as you might expect: You just hold your device next to the screen on an upgraded tap-to-pay turnstile and, within a second, you'll see a message on the reader that says "GO" and you're on your way.
