Privacy

NYC Transit Just Got Rid of MetroCards for Fares. The Successor Could Put Your Privacy at Risk.

Unlike the MetroCard, the OMNY system requires train and bus riders in New York City to give their name and phone number to the government.

Jack Nicastro | From the April 2026 issue

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(Photo: Richard B. Levine/Newscom)

This year's Times Square Ball Drop marked not only the end of 2025, but also the end of the MetroCard. Now, New Yorkers must use their credit, debit, or One Metro New York (OMNY) card to navigate the city aboard Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) trains and buses. While some residents welcome the transition away from the notoriously finicky MetroCard, the speed and convenience of the OMNY system comes at a cost: privacy.

While only 4 percent of fares were paid via OMNY before the pandemic, usage quintupled by 2021, and the Spring 2025 Customers Count Survey showed more than half of subway riders primarily used OMNY—84 percent of whom reported satisfaction with the payment option. Only 30 percent used a pay-per-ride or unlimited MetroCard, according to the survey.

Like its predecessor, passengers may transfer........

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