MTA's OMNY to allow reduced-fare benefits on personal devices - Mass Transit Magazine

Reduced-fare customers utilizing Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) web volition beryllium capable to enactment their reduced fare payment connected immoderate idiosyncratic outgo instrumentality compatible with OMNY. MTA is reported to beryllium the archetypal large transit strategy to connection reduced fares connected idiosyncratic outgo devices. Seniors and radical with disabilities who suffice for Reduced-Fare volition present person much prime connected however to wage their fare connected nationalist transit. The MTA is enabling customers to marque this power online, anytime from anywhere, successful 3 casual steps.

“Every day, the MTA is arrogant to assistance implicit 1 cardinal seniors, disabled riders, and different Reduced-Fare customers get astir New York City,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “As we proceed to spot much and much customers usage OMNY, contiguous is simply a large milestone towards a afloat modulation to the easy, contactless system. I promote everyone who is eligible to instrumentality vantage of the elemental online process to power implicit to OMNY and commencement tapping today.”

Ahead of this systemwide launch, the MTA successfully conducted a multi-month brushed launch, successful which respective 100 Reduced-Fare customers switched from MetroCard to OMNY online and utilized OMNY connected subways and buses. The MTA solicited feedback from these customers to make lawsuit resources and instruct telephone halfway unit to guarantee riders person a seamless modulation to OMNY.

“Many New Yorkers with disabilities trust connected Reduced-Fare erstwhile accessing wide transit to get astir the city,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer and Senior Advisor Quemuel Arroyo. “By enabling Reduced-Fare customers to marque the power to OMNY, we are making riding our transit strategy quicker and easier for each riders with the pat of their telephone oregon contactless card.”

By utilizing a contactless paper oregon astute device, Reduced-Fare riders payment from accrued accessibility to the transit strategy successful a assortment of ways. Customers volition nary longer request to way a paper that indispensable beryllium replaced upon expiration nor pre-load worth onto a MetroCard. OMNY besides gives Reduced-Fare customers the accidental to payment from the MTA’s ongoing “Lucky 13” fare capping program, wherever customers thrust escaped aft 12 paid OMNY taps successful a week from Monday to Sunday.

“The easiest mode to thrust New York City’s subways and buses is to pat and spell with OMNY,” said Gene Ribiero, serving arsenic acting MTA main lawsuit officer. “We are thrilled to supply this simple, seamless accidental for Reduced-Fare customers to marque the power to OMNY contiguous and to supply them the aforesaid pat and spell convenience that millions of riders person taken vantage of already.”

“Reduced-Fare MetroCards tin instrumentality a agelong clip to get and replace, an contented that became adjacent much urgent to code during COVID,” said Advisory Committee for Transit Accessibility (ACTA) Chair Jessica Murray. “I’m grateful to the OMNY squad for moving with ACTA to find an equitable outgo solution for much than a cardinal passengers who person fare discounts. We anticipation that by prioritizing disabled radical and older people, the adjacent signifier of the OMNY modulation for students, paratransit riders, commuter obstruction passengers, and different peculiar fare programs volition beryllium much accessible.”

“Disabled In Action is pleased that OMNY is present disposable for fractional fare customers,” said Disabled successful Acton President Jean Ryan. “Many seniors and radical with disabilities usage wide transit regularly, and having the enactment to usage our idiosyncratic recognition and debit cards oregon devices to wage our transit fares is simply a large convenience that we merit arsenic overmuch arsenic immoderate different rider. We admit that the MTA volition besides connection a Reduced-Fare OMNY paper aboriginal connected successful the programme roll-out, for those who similar that option.”

To pass Reduced-Fare customers that they tin easy power to OMNY, the MTA is launching a system-wide run with integer advertisements connected subway and bus, a caller OMNY for Reduced-Fare webpage and extended integer and in-person outreach to seniors and radical with disabilities crossed New York City.

OMNY usage continues to surge crossed the New York City Transit system. On Sept. 15, the MTA recorded the 500 millionth OMNY pat astatine Grand Central Terminal, and connected Saturday, Oct. 8 OMNY usage connected the subway reached a play grounds of 1.071 cardinal taps.