MTA new payment system to be called OMNY (transfer, purchases)
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The way people post on here, you'd think such technology is BARELY ready for the future.
Guess what? Almost every other city with a metro system has had this in place for a DECADE.
London, Chicago, San Francisco, Moscow, Seoul.
I think Chicago does it the best because the card doubles as a debit card and you can manage it from a card or app. Easy peasy.
This is true that Chicago does it best with their card system, but one has to realize that Chicago has a small transit system when compared to NYC. When I landed at O'Hare and wanted to take the blue line out the airport the kiosk charged me up front for the card plus the value I wanted to put on the card. I can then get the value of the card back by registering it online or some other stuff but I didn't care to jump through the hoops so i never did lol. Similar with Boston when I landed at Logan I used the kiosk to get the paper card then later got the tap and go card. Tap and go is way better than watching a tourist swipe a metrocard wrong everywhich way multiple times holding up everyone behind them lol.
The problem with comparing other cities to NYC is that they do not have the amount of stations or turnstiles as we do. The MTA will be so cheap with this change that they will look to change out a few turnstiles at the busiest stations at a time. So my take on it is that they will target the tourist areas first Wallstreet, timesquare/midtown, etc. My fear is that those of us in the outer boroughs wont see this system in place until the ass end of the upgrade. Hell there are stations in the outer boroughs that still don't have countdown clocks on the subway platforms lol
This is true that Chicago does it best with their card system, but one has to realize that Chicago has a small transit system when compared to NYC. When I landed at O'Hare and wanted to take the blue line out the airport the kiosk charged me up front for the card plus the value I wanted to put on the card. I can then get the value of the card back by registering it online or some other stuff but I didn't care to jump through the hoops so i never did lol. Similar with Boston when I landed at Logan I used the kiosk to get the paper card then later got the tap and go card. Tap and go is way better than watching a tourist swipe a metrocard wrong everywhich way multiple times holding up everyone behind them lol.
The problem with comparing other cities to NYC is that they do not have the amount of stations or turnstiles as we do. The MTA will be so cheap with this change that they will look to change out a few turnstiles at the busiest stations at a time. So my take on it is that they will target the tourist areas first Wallstreet, timesquare/midtown, etc. My fear is that those of us in the outer boroughs wont see this system in place until the ass end of the upgrade. Hell there are stations in the outer boroughs that still don't have countdown clocks on the subway platforms lol
472 Stations + 50 SBS Bus Platforms = Roughly 520 Stations.
Let's average 10 Turnstyles per station. That's 5200 Machines to replace.
In this scenario we need to install a Metrocard to NFC card exchange machine in each station.
Wisest thing during the initial exchange is have 3 booth attendants with mobile devices that can read metrocards and issue NFC cards on the spot. During the initial outlay this would be easier than machines.
So 5200 Machines.
It would take a task force of 600 employees could replace them in 8.5 hours.
200 Employees could do it in a single weekend.
With 74,000 Employees. It seems, quite manageable.
The problem though, isn't likely the size but the bloat and inefficiency.
I agree that this is the way things are going. I just wish that the pace would slow down a bit! I don't mind using cards only (that's what I almost always use, though I have had my cards canceled due to there being data breaches, which meant that I had to operate with cash in some instances for a little while), but I still want the option to use cash. Still, even if they did do away with cash completely for all transactions, I know too many older folks (as you mentioned) who would be negatively impacted. Many of these people are too old to change. And, quite frankly, I don't know if its fair to ask some of them to change. Just my two cents, though.
Well, if they are that old they are not going to be around for that many years long, and it is not fair to old society back just because a 95 year old might not be able to adapt.
Anyone in their 60s is used to using debit cards and credit cards, ditto for 70s as these things are not new and became mainstream in the 80s.
This is true that Chicago does it best with their card system, but one has to realize that Chicago has a small transit system when compared to NYC. When I landed at O'Hare and wanted to take the blue line out the airport the kiosk charged me up front for the card plus the value I wanted to put on the card. I can then get the value of the card back by registering it online or some other stuff but I didn't care to jump through the hoops so i never did lol. Similar with Boston when I landed at Logan I used the kiosk to get the paper card then later got the tap and go card. Tap and go is way better than watching a tourist swipe a metrocard wrong everywhich way multiple times holding up everyone behind them lol.
The problem with comparing other cities to NYC is that they do not have the amount of stations or turnstiles as we do. The MTA will be so cheap with this change that they will look to change out a few turnstiles at the busiest stations at a time. So my take on it is that they will target the tourist areas first Wallstreet, timesquare/midtown, etc. My fear is that those of us in the outer boroughs wont see this system in place until the ass end of the upgrade. Hell there are stations in the outer boroughs that still don't have countdown clocks on the subway platforms lol
The MTA easily enough upgraded from tokens to MetroCard, and they did this system wide in the 90s. Similarly they'll have the system wide upgrades to the new OMNY card.
I agree that this is the way things are going. I just wish that the pace would slow down a bit! I don't mind using cards only (that's what I almost always use, though I have had my cards canceled due to there being data breaches, which meant that I had to operate with cash in some instances for a little while), but I still want the option to use cash. Still, even if they did do away with cash completely for all transactions, I know too many older folks (as you mentioned) who would be negatively impacted. Many of these people are too old to change. And, quite frankly, I don't know if its fair to ask some of them to change. Just my two cents, though.
This is a system that exists in other transportation systems and you can load a card with cash just as you would with a Metrocard. I don't understand what you're complaining about, but people like to complain for no reason. The Metrocard is old technology and in this case, the MTA is giving riders more ways to pay, including cash, so what's the problem?
The tap card system in other countries is also far less finicky and less prone to user error. I think the best thing would be if there were more recharging stations throughout and one strategy for that I’ve seen is to allow it to be used as a small amounts purchase card as well which in other places I’ve seen become integrated into convenience stores and the like and so they also have an incentive to have a cash charge station.
This is a system that exists in other transportation systems and you can load a card with cash just as you would with a Metrocard. I don't understand what you're complaining about, but people like to complain for no reason. The Metrocard is old technology and in this case, the MTA is giving riders more ways to pay, including cash, so what's the problem?
Old people dont like change and keeps things stagnant with the mentality of "if it aint broke dont fix it". They argued when the switch was made from tokens to metrocards because they liked having the token holder that held 10 tokens on their keychain. It was a no brainier to them, 10 tokens on the key chain and they had 2 tokens to use for the daily to and from trip. They will argue now even though we are getting more ways than 1 to pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WithDisp
472 Stations + 50 SBS Bus Platforms = Roughly 520 Stations.
Let's average 10 Turnstyles per station. That's 5200 Machines to replace.
In this scenario we need to install a Metrocard to NFC card exchange machine in each station.
Wisest thing during the initial exchange is have 3 booth attendants with mobile devices that can read metrocards and issue NFC cards on the spot. During the initial outlay this would be easier than machines.
So 5200 Machines.
It would take a task force of 600 employees could replace them in 8.5 hours.
200 Employees could do it in a single weekend.
With 74,000 Employees. It seems, quite manageable.
The problem though, isn't likely the size but the bloat and inefficiency.
How are they going to tackle the fare box on each individual bus?
Last edited by SoullessOne; 02-25-2019 at 09:17 AM..
How are they going to tackle the fare box on each individual bus?
Figure out a mounting and wiring scheme for the models of buses that won’t be retired soon and then have the new boxes manufactured and then do so for each individual box. Buses have scheduled maintenance anyhow, so this can be part of the standard operation until all buses that are schedule to still run after rollout have the equipment for the new media and all new buses are built with the new payment option.
It’s not a simple one step process and there’s the question of whether or not there needs to be an intermediate step where both Metrocard and OMNY are accepted and to what extent, but MTA isn’t going to be the first agency to make this transition. The need for the intermediary step would be easier if there were more places where OMNY cards can be attained. The city and state can ostensibly make this happen.
Ultimately this is better because it is more options and this fare media is likely using a protocol compatible with that of many other systems. Japan, for example, has differently branded cards in different metropolitan regions, but the nfc card from one region is compatible with those of others and so you can use the card from one region for the system in the other. Ideally, all the systems in the northeast corridor would have a shared protocol even if it’s not a single system.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 02-25-2019 at 09:41 AM..
That's cool, but me and my homies will still be jumping the turnstiles.
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