History of OMNY in Timeline

OMNY (One Metro New York) is a contactless fare payment system used for public transportation in the New York metropolitan area. It allows riders to pay fares using contactless credit and debit cards, mobile devices with digital wallets, or OMNY cards. OMNY is currently available at all NYC Subway and Staten Island Railway stations, on all MTA buses, AirTrain JFK, Metro North's Hudson Rail Link, the Roosevelt Island Tram, Bee-Line buses, and NICE buses. The system is gradually replacing the MetroCard and will eventually include the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.

1953: Introduction of Subway Tokens

In 1953, subway tokens were introduced for fare payment in New York City.

1992: Replacement of Tokens with MetroCards begins

Starting in 1992, subway tokens were replaced by MetroCards made by Cubic Transportation Systems, utilizing magnetic stripes to encode fare payment.

1993: Introduction of the MetroCard

In 1993, the MetroCard, a magnetic stripe card, was introduced for fare payment on MTA subways and buses, as well as on other networks like the PATH train.

1994: Formation of the MetroCard Company

In 1994, the MTA established the MetroCard Company to explore the development of a joint transit/financial services payment card.

2000: Feasibility study for a contactless regional fare card

In 2000, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey sponsored a feasibility study for a contactless regional fare card, conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

2001: Approval of new fare system for PATH

In 2001, the Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved a new fare system for the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH), as a first step toward an integrated regional fare payment system.

2003: Complete Phase-Out of Tokens

By 2003, subway tokens had been completely phased out in favor of MetroCards.

July 2006: Contactless payment trial begins

In July 2006, Mastercard and Citibank funded a trial of contactless payments, branded as PayPass, at 25 subway stations, mostly on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.

December 2006: Extension of contactless payment trial

In December 2006, the PayPass trial was extended due to its popularity among select Citibank cardholders.

2006: First Contactless Payment Trial

In 2006, the first contactless payment trial took place.

2006: Contactless-payment trials in NYC area

In 2006, the first limited contactless-payment trial was conducted around the New York City area.

November 2010: Expansion of Contactless Payment Trial

In November 2010, the 2010 contactless payment trial eventually expanded to include multiple Manhattan bus routes, two New Jersey Transit bus routes, and most PATH stations.

2010: Second Contactless-payment trials in NYC area

In 2010, another limited contactless-payment trial was conducted around the New York City area.

2016: Security breach of fare systems in San Francisco

In 2016, concerns about security and privacy were raised, highlighting a security breach of fare systems in San Francisco.

2016: Formal planning for MetroCard replacement begins

In 2016, formal planning commenced for a full replacement of the MetroCard system.

2016: MTA announces new contactless fare payment system design

In 2016, the MTA announced plans to design a new contactless fare payment system to replace the MetroCard.

October 2017: Installation of eTix-compatible turnstiles begins

In October 2017, the MTA started installing eTix-compatible electronic ticketing turnstiles in 14 stations in Manhattan, initially for MTA employees only.

October 23, 2017: MetroCard to be replaced by Cubic system

On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by a contactless fare payment system by Cubic, allowing payment via mobile wallets or NFC-enabled cards.

June 2018: MTA revises OMNY implementation timeline

In June 2018, the MTA revised the implementation timeline for the new payment system, with the first stage in May 2019.

2018: Initial planned partial implementation

In 2018, the new contactless fare payment system was initially planned for partial implementation.

February 2019: OMNY Name Announcement

In February 2019, the name "OMNY" was announced, an acronym for "One Metro New York".

March 2019: Internal OMNY trial begins

In March 2019, an internal OMNY trial launched, involving over 1,100 MTA employees and 300 other participants.

May 2019: Future OMNY Implementations Specified

At a presentation in May 2019, the MTA's Capital Program Oversight Committee specified future implementations, including a mobile app, OMNY Cards on Access-a-Ride, and OMNY readers on Select Bus Service buses.

May 2019: OMNY Public Rollout Begins

In May 2019, the OMNY system began its public rollout, starting with the installation of readers at select subway stations and on buses in Staten Island.

May 2019: First stage of implementation

In May 2019, the first stage of implementation would take place.

May 31, 2019: Public Launch of OMNY

On May 31, 2019, OMNY launched to the public on Staten Island buses and at 16 subway stations, supporting single-ride fares with contactless bank cards and mobile payments.

July 2019: Mastercard "Fareback Fridays" promotion

In June and July 2019, Mastercard offered "Fareback Fridays" to promote OMNY, refunding up to two rides made using OMNY on Fridays.

November 2019: MTA announces OMNY Expansion

In November 2019, the MTA announced that 48 additional stations would be outfitted with OMNY readers.

December 2019: Staten Island public transit becomes OMNY-compatible

In December 2019, public transit in Staten Island became fully OMNY-compatible with the implementation of OMNY on the Staten Island Railway.

December 2019: OMNY Readers installed on Staten Island Railway

In December 2019, the Staten Island Railway received OMNY readers.

January 2020: Expansion to Manhattan Bus Routes

By January 2020, OMNY was set to expand to Manhattan bus routes, as well as launch pilot programs on Select Bus Service.

February 2020: MTA warns of potential double charges with Apple Pay's Express Transit

In February 2020, the MTA cautioned that some customers using Apple Pay's Express Transit feature might be accidentally double-charged if their phones were near OMNY readers while also carrying a MetroCard. This issue was relatively rare at the time, with about 30 reports.

June 2020: OMNY Project Budget Increase

By June 2020, the OMNY project budget had risen to $677 million.

June 2020: Suspension of new OMNY Installations

From March to June 2020, no new OMNY installations were added due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.

July 2020: OMNY installation completed in Manhattan

OMNY installation in Manhattan was completed in July 2020.

July 20, 2020: All-Door Boarding at Select Bus Service routes with OMNY begins

On July 20, 2020, all-door boarding at Select Bus Service routes with OMNY began.

October 2020: Target to equip all subway stations with OMNY

By October 2020, all subway stations were targeted to receive OMNY readers.

November 2020: OMNY Project Budget Increase

By November 2020, the OMNY project budget had risen to $732 million.

November 2020: OMNY readers installed at AutoGates

In November 2020, OMNY readers were installed at AutoGates for disabled riders.

December 2020: OMNY activated on all MTA buses and subway stations

By December 2020, OMNY had been rolled out to 458 subway stations and was active on all MTA buses and at all subway stations after activation at Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum station.

December 31, 2020: OMNY Rollout Completion

On December 31, 2020, the rollout of OMNY on the New York City Subway and MTA buses was completed.

February 2021: Planned launch of prepaid OMNY card

By February 2021, the launch of a prepaid OMNY card was planned.

June 2021: OMNY Project Budget Increase

By June 2021, the OMNY project budget was $772 million.

July 2021: OMNY Accounts for one-sixth of fares

By July 2021, one-sixth of all fares paid on the bus, subway, and Staten Island Railway were paid through OMNY.

October 1, 2021: MTA offers OMNY contactless cards

On October 1, 2021, the MTA began offering OMNY contactless cards to the public.

February 28, 2022: Introduction of fare capping on OMNY

On February 28, 2022, the MTA introduced fare capping for OMNY users.

March 2022: Planned installation of OMNY vending machines

By March 2022, the installation of OMNY vending machines was planned.

June 2022: Reduced-fare customers can use OMNY

In June 2022, reduced-fare customers were allowed to use OMNY with registered debit or credit cards.

October 2022: Reduced-fare OMNY activated

In October 2022, Reduced-fare OMNY was activated.

2022: Originally planned full implementation

By 2022, the new contactless fare payment system was originally planned for full implementation.

September 2023: OMNY usage highest in gentrified areas

In September 2023, the MTA indicated that OMNY usage was highest in gentrified areas with young, white, and well-off populations.

2023: Expected full deployment of OMNY to other transit systems delayed

By 2023, full deployment of OMNY to other New York City-area transit systems was expected but has been delayed. Also, the phasing out of the MetroCard—originally expected in 2023—has been delayed indefinitely.

2023: Original Target Date for MetroCard Discontinuation

By 2023, the MetroCard was originally planned to be discontinued.

2023: Original MetroCard discontinuation target and subsequent cancellation

In 2023, the MetroCard was originally planned to be discontinued, but this was cancelled due to delays.

May 2024: Fair Fares OMNY pilot program begins

In May 2024, a small number of people enrolled in the MTA's Fair Fares program were allowed to begin using discounted OMNY cards as part of a pilot program.

December 2024: Rollout of Reduced Fare OMNY cards

In December 2024, Reduced Fare OMNY cards were rolled out.

February 2025: Availability of Fair Fares OMNY cards

In February 2025, Reduced Fare OMNY cards for low-income residents through the Fair Fares program became available.

June 2025: Visa Inc. fixes technical issue causing multiple charges

In June 2025, Visa Inc. resolved a technical issue that was causing OMNY readers to attempt to charge some Visa credit card holders multiple times for a single trip.

July 2025: Survey reveals widespread issues with OMNY fare media

In July 2025, a survey of 400 riders showed that three-fourths had issues with their OMNY fare media, including OMNY readers not accepting valid fare media, delayed appearance of fare payments on bank statements, and overcharges. OMNY readers also didn't display remaining card balances. In response, in 2025 the MTA proposed showing balances on OMNY readers.

2025: Reports of issues with pre-tax transit benefit cards and student cards

In 2025, The City reported that riders were being prevented from using cards eligible for pre-tax federal transit benefits. Students also reported issues with delays in replacing nonfunctional or lost OMNY cards, noting the paper student cards were easily damaged.