OMNY contactless payment system to go live on all Manhattan buses

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced that the OMNY contactless fare payment system will go live on all Manhattan local buses, as well as subway stations in four boroughs, by the end of March 2020. 

The bus activation will put OMNY on more than 600 buses on more than 30 routes. The expansion to Manhattan local buses is said to represent a dramatic increase in points where it’s possible to use OMNY to make free transfers between subways and buses.

“This is another major milestone in the transformation of the NYC bus system,” said Craig Cipriano, Acting Senior Vice President of Buses for MTA New York City Transit and President of the MTA Bus Company. “As we work hard expanding bus priority and redesigning our bus system throughout the city, modernised fare payment is a key piece of how we can speed up buses and bring customers to our system.”

“The OMNY rollout remains on time and we aren’t resting on our laurels. We continue to move full speed ahead, having just exceeded 10 million taps and expecting to rapidly surpass that pace in the weeks and months to come,” added Al Putre, OMNY Executive. “This month, everyone from daily Manhattan bus riders to diehard Mets fans will get to experience the magic of OMNY. No more waiting in lines at MetroCard machines. Just tap your smart phone, wearable device or contactless credit or debit card and go.”  

While the installation of OMNY readers and equipment will continue throughout the month, OMNY will be activated on buses across the whole borough simultaneously at the end of March 2020. This expansion to Manhattan buses is hoped to attract new ridership by allowing visitors to New York City and anyone who doesn’t normally carry a MetroCard to use a bus with a spontaneity that was never possible before.