The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced that customers aged 65 and over can enroll in the Reduced-Fare program, which offers a 50 discount on subway and eligible bus fares. The base fare for the local rail and bus system is now $2.90, but a senior or eligible transit rider would pay half that, or $1.45, if they enroll in the program.
To get the Subway Senior Discount, all you need to do is present a valid ID or driver’s license showing you are 60 years or older. Once you have completed the application, you can visit a Customer Service Center in a subway station or sign up in person to receive your new Reduced-Fare MetroCard. Fare discounts are available for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North customers who are 65 or older, have a disability, or are Medicare recipients.
To apply for the Reduced-Fare Metrocard, complete an online application and upload a passport-style photo. Customers who are 65 years of age or above are eligible for a senior citizens Subway discount. The Subway discount card gives customers a 50 discount on the subway and local bus fares.
Since the age of 65, seniors can get a reduced-fare New York Metrocard from the MTA, which brings down the price of a single MetroCard. To apply, applicants must show a document with their birth date as proof of age. The MTA offers reduced fares for passengers aged 65 and older on subways and local buses, and it is important to remember that seniors are eligible to receive a reduce-fare Metrocard from the MTA.
📹 How to buy a NYC MetroCard | Unlimited or Regular Subway Card
Should you buy a pay-per-ride or an unlimited New York City Subway MetroCard? There are several factors to consider before …
📹 5 new things with OMNY in New York City
New York rolled out the OMNY system in 2019. It’s been available on all New York subways and buses. Now it’s been four years …
One thing I don’t like about OMNY and I hope they change is that there’s no real feedback given when you tap. They have massive screens, but they don’t tell you if you got a transfer or not or how much you paid like it did with the MetroCard. When they roll out the student OMNY card they’ll also need to add more feedback to the screens, such as how many rides you have left each day or if the card isn’t valid at that time. Hopefully they’re able to easily update all of the turnstiles to do that without it being a big and expensive ordeal.
As an MTA worker I hate metro cards because we can’t do anything to help people at the booth besides giving them a ride. Management for whatever reason has never put the infrastructure in place for us to replace metro cards at the booth, instead everyone has to use the very slow and old process of mailing in their metro cards. Hopefully the OMNY website restores transaction history because it is such a convenient way to get quick help for many issues like overpaying, or why some of your cards aren’t working.
Glad to see these updates! I’ve been to NYC 3 times in the past 2 years and, since I collect metro cards, I tried really hard every time to buy a physical omni card. Each time I was there I went to at least 3 different 7-11s in Manhattan which were listed on the Omni website as selling omni cards but none of them actually sold the cards, and in most cases the person working there didn’t even know the omni cards were supposed to be sold there and gave me a weird look when asked. Being able to actually buy the cards is a big improvement. Not forcing the pay cap to start on sunday is also great. Last time I was in NYC I flew in midweek and out midweek the week after so I had to go for a pre-paid 7 day metrocard pass; if I did that trip again I could just use omni. It’s also great that the Roosevelt Island government finally stopped dragging their feet and now allows you to use omni to board; last time I rode it there were a lot of people who used omni everywhere else so they had to line up and buy a metrocard just to ride the tram once. Glad that’s a thing of the past
Honestly there need to be OMNY machines in EVERY STATION for OMNY to make a difference. Also the card readers don’t tell you WHY your OMNY card did not work right then and there in the moment when you need it to work. I used the OMNY card, I don’t want the MTA to have digital information linked to my bank or my phone or anyone else -it is a matter of time before they get that hacked too so NO, I will NOT use my phone or my bank card.
Hi Thea. I recently visited NYC (I was visiting Newark for a concert so I took a few side trips to Manhattan during the day) and watched a lot of your articles to prepare. Your articles on how to use the PATH and NYC were really helpful. In my opinion, using public transit is a great part of experience as a tourist, and your expertise was certainly appreciated. So thank you!
I also agree with you that I can’t check my OMNY records for the balances of the express bus that I keep taking but I would have to keep calling OMNY customer service and ask them to check my card balance instead of checking it online! It’s so ridiculous and wish they bring them back but with the new OMNY machines rolling out, it’ll be more complicated to me tag finding a pharmacy to refill it each month
I took a long weekend trip to New York in mid June 2023. I decided to give OMNY a try on that trip, so I bought my OMNY card at a small retailer near Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave. This was before the fare hike & the rolling fare cap. I knew about the Mon-Sun timeline, so I booked my trip to be from Wed-Sun. Now it would be easier for me to make a Sat-Wed or Sat-Sat trip to New York with the rolling fare cap. I actually liked using the OMNY card while I was there. The card will likely expire before my next trip there, but I did keep the card as a souvenir. I just wish they had functional OMNY vending machines in the stations when I got there. Stations that cater to tourists should get them first though(Jackson Hgts/Roosevelt Ave, Sutphin Blvd/Archer Ave, Penn Station, etc.)
As you said, comparisons!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Here in Chile (Santiago) the system was implemented 20+ year ago. Same in Valparaíso (where i live) and Concepción, the second and third largest cities in the country, respectively. And yes, is a pain in the butt when you go to NYC! And don’t even let me get started with the LIRR and Metro North! It’s madness! The so called capital of the world can’t allow itself to have such a messier fare payment system.
Sounds great if it works properly. The Omny tap sometimes doesn’t work (15min later). And the fair cap is more expensive. I ride the train twice a day 5 days a week the monthly Metro card is cheaper. When your metro card expires the machine gives you a free one as long as you’re adding time to your card, so no, it’s not the same. The machine will tell you you don’t need to keep track of its expiration date, again for free!!!
If trip history was a thing back when I was in college, I’d never have had as much freedom to travel. My mother used to read my bank statements when they came in; I don’t know what she would have done if she could find out exactly where I was going and when. I was a good student, mind you, I just enjoyed the occasional after-class outing. That’s the main reason I’m not looking forward to the end of the MetroCard. Riders have varied needs for privacy and security that I’m not certain the OMNY system is prepared to accommodate.
The Metrocard $1.00 fee is only assessed with the initial purchase. You can transfer any residual value( even if 0) onto a new card within 1 year of the expiration date on the back of the card.Furthermore if you mail in a damaged Metrocard you are supposed to be able to be reimbursed for the dollar fee you pay for the interim replacement card you purchase until you get the mailed card back. You just have to include the serial # of the interim card you buy on the claim form. Peeps have not been told this. Cha ching
I watched your previous articles about using the MTA and it helped out immensely. KUDOS to you! We use our phones for all OMNY transactions while using the directions of Google Maps. Looks like they were getting new machines for the OMNY pay installed on 12/4/23 for the AirTrain. The gates were open, and we were instructed to walk through without paying for BOTH ways. Arriving in NYC with little sleep navigating to the subway during morning rush with people that have been riding the subway all their life in a hurry was interesting. We had a little problem at Fulton station trying to find the train going in the correct direction and it did not help little sleep. The signs had us going in circles. The signs were probably labeled correctly we were extremely tired. One detail I did not notice was on the A train when we were returning to the airport. We were on an old train that did not have all the stops listed inside and the speakers sounded like they were behind a pillow. At one stop a local could obviously see we were tourist and told us to get off now and catch the next train if we wanted to go to the airport. I will pay it forward and help the next confused tourist in my town. At the stop there were other confused tourist along with one lady that knew how to navigate that the subway. We let 2 A trains pass and the third A train we got on to go to the airport. I did not understand how that worked.
We don’t go to NYC often. If I’m just going to use a debit or credit card, do I need to get an OMNY account? …or does just tapping the card work? If my kids are with me, do I just tap the card and then a kid goes through and then I tap again for the next kid and then tap again for myself???? (that’s how I used to do the Metro card)
Seeing those machines sitting there doing NOTHING but being useless are nothing but frustrating. I am getting older, and when I turn 65 I do NOT want to do interface with a damn poorly trained AI to identify myself to get the half fare card. The MTA needs to make the OMNY readers give SPECIFIC information, activate those machines and get more WORKING, and STOP buying new fare systems every 7- 10 years, it costs money they should be spending on hiring TRACK WORKERS, not new management!
Hi Thea this is kevin patino a subscriber on your YouTube website first of all I gotta say I love your content I appreciate you for what you do for animation you should work for Disney. Lol jk if you would though?🤔 so the reason I came here to comment on your website today is that I agree a lot of your arguments post that you stated was ” the omny is very good and they had a way that you can see your charges from station to station ” I agree I missed that option because I have been using it recently and say oh where is my charges are going etc yeah I think it’s a great idea to bring it back. Second for my claim about omny card who has smaller income values how they’re going to make it happen. For me coming from a place doing three two part time jobs that has a biweekly pay my money will go down the drain with this omny card. I really hope they can offer cash. Just like a metro card had because I live in White Plains Westchester County so bee line buses are way to slow on their upgrades. Now question do I retire the metro card or keep it for memory or I can still use it in Westchester buses. Because it will be way to difficult to add money if they will be gone on the subway machines. I love the article as well I can’t wait to see the features they have on a new Omny card machines. Sincerely kevin patino
Never use your credit/bank card on these systems. Anyone with data access would be able to look you up by name, and see your daily routes and places you frequently visit. Pay for a metro/Omni card with cash and change it every 3 months. Yes, the data on where you go is being sold by the MTA to advertisers and malicious actors.
I don’t care that they turned off the trip history for anyone’s credit card but the fact of the matter is is that they turned it off for the Omny card as well basically defeating the whole purpose for me also I don’t like that there’s a minimum spend with Omny card as a government agency the MTA should be willing to take as much or as little money from me at any point of my choosing and putting a minimum I don’t think is equitable or reasonable
Good riddance of the end of the Metrocard. Only hold a metrocard now for NICE and Beeline busses. Im using a Smartlink Card for PATH and they will have their own open loop system open next year. NJT just started accepting contactless cards for their busses and light rails (tap on the validator on the light rail or tell the bus driver how many zones/ transfers and tap. Next year NJT will have a transit card as well for those using cash. The NJT app is still needed for suburban rail transit or one can buy a ticket with a TVM or via a human at a big train station terminal.
Off topic QUESTION: In both Montréal and Washington, signage in metro stations is based on line colour/number and end station for that disrection. In Manhattan, I found it was uptown or dowtown with borrough as end point (eg: brooklyn, queens etc). When you are outside of Manhattan, how are directions signed? If in brooklyn, I assume “uptown” and “downtown” don’t have much meaning.
It’s not a great experience to get the card online. I don’t think people enjoy talking to automated machines on the phone, now you have people with disabilities and or elderly people trying to figure out this chat box. They should’ve heard a typical online form like with most other things on the Internet. I wonder if the thought was that the chat box would simulate talking to a real person rather than being expected to do it yourself, but at the end of the day, it is a computer, and you can only do so much.
Problem with omny readers, they dont show you how many money you have left. Also Westchester CountyBee-Line Bus System rolling out omny reader 2024. NICE bus still hasnt installed omny reader either, despite lots of nassau county 7-11, cvs, rite aid has omny cards. Same for PATH train. I remember long time ago when i was heading to mta meeting in Farmingdale, mta farebox on nice bus n72 glitched my 30 day MetroCard but when i used on F train, it was working.