OMNY Implementation/Metro-Card Retirement Discussion Thread

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, mikecintel said:

Oh wow Greg Mocker message you.  Well that's good at least you can tell the public what is wrong with OMNY and how the MTA can fix issues it is goes on national TV.  Maybe he will call you back we just have to wait.

lol He's interviewed me before a few months ago in fact and that one appeared on the 10 o'clock news. Usually the way it works is they'll contact you for a story and they may or may not use your interview. Had that happen with CBS. They interviewed me, then some other big story happened and they aired that instead. I'm usually more focused on the advocating more than anything. I've also had interviews where a smaller outlet will interview me, they publish it, and then several other outlets contact me to interview me all at once because the story is "hot" I guess, like when they stopped accepting coins on express buses. Sometimes they want an interview at the last minute and I'm not available so if I am cool. If not, next time. He messaged me late yesterday. All depends on the outlet and some of them are focused on the hottest stories. I always wonder what they do with the interviews though. I mean sometimes we're talking for 30-45 minutes. That has to be edited down to an interview of maybe a minute. lol 

The stories in the paper usually get published though, because those they've committed to doing.

Edited October 7, 2021 by Via Garibaldi 8

[mikecintel]

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

lol He's interviewed me before a few months ago in fact and that one appeared on the 10 o'clock news. Usually the way it works is they'll contact you for a story and they may or may not use your interview. Had that happen with CBS. They interviewed me, then some other big story happened and they aired that instead. I'm usually more focused on the advocating more than anything. I've also had interviews where a smaller outlet will interview me, they publish it, and then several other outlets contact me to interview me all at once because the story is "hot" I guess, like when they stopped accepting coins on express buses. Sometimes they want an interview at the last minute and I'm not available so if I am cool. If not, next time. He messaged me late yesterday. All depends on the outlet and some of them are focused on the hottest stories. I always wonder what they do with the interviews though. I mean sometimes we're talking for 30-45 minutes. That has to be edited down to an interview of maybe a minute. lol 

The stories in the paper usually get published though, because those they've committed to doing.

I see.  I went and clicked on the link and saw the article.  So you are now "famous" because you are on national TV LOL.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

21 minutes ago, mikecintel said:

I see.  I went and clicked on the link and saw the article.  So you are now "famous" because you are on national TV LOL.

To be clear... That isn't me... That's someone else he interviewed. I think he wanted an in-person interview and I was not available for one. Anything I've done with him has been via Zoom from home.

[mikecintel]

5 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

To be clear... That isn't me... That's someone else he interviewed. I think he wanted an in-person interview and I was not available for one. Anything I've done with him has been via Zoom from home.

OK I see.

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

Huge if true

 

[JeremiahC99]

4 hours ago, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

Huge if true

 

So in essence, they’re implementing fare capping?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 hours ago, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

Huge if true

 

I can't see anything...

[mikecintel]

6 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I can't see anything...

I clicked on the picture and it let me see what the screen shot said.  If they do fare capping won't that be like the MTA "forcing" people to ride the bus/trains more just to get the "unlimited" option?  Just wondering....

 

 

[mikecintel]

2 hours ago, mikecintel said:

I clicked on the picture and it let me see what the screen shot said.  If they do fare capping won't that be like the MTA "forcing" people to ride the bus/trains more just to get the "unlimited" option?  Just wondering....

 

 

Disregard the " If they do fare capping won't that be like the MTA "forcing" people to ride the bus/trains more just to get the "unlimited" option?"  Via Garibaldi 8 answered me in the other forum.  Thanks again.

Edited October 15, 2021 by mikecintel

[mikecintel]

I emailed OMNY for clarification regarding the unlimited for OMNY and below is what they wrote:

Weekly, Monthly, Unlimited Passes

Hi ,

Thank you for contacting OMNY. Currently, OMNY supports a full-fare, pay-per-ride option, with free transfers at OMNY-enabled subway stations and bus routes. Additional fare options will be available during future phases of the rollout, such as weekly passes, monthly passes, reduced fares, student fares, and more. But not at this time.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to call us at 877-789-6669.

OMNY Customer Support

© 2019-2020 Metropolitan Transportation Authority. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks, services marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. OMNY is a service provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

[BillAv]

On 10/14/2021 at 8:54 AM, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

Huge if true

 

I wouldn't doubt that this is kind of true; they enabled fare capping without telling anyone as part of a beta test.  No one is going to complain if they don't get charged.  The only people who probably know about it are certain MTA employees.  My guess is the person who tweeted this assumed that it was common knowledge.  I might go for this if they make an official announcement on the OMNY site.

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

I was able to get my hands on an OMNY card at 711 in Manhattan. Several observations after registering it on the OMNY site (excuse the formatting, on mobile)

No minimum balance is required, unless you choose automatic $ reload (see below)

Automatic reload is possible in 1 of 2 ways.

When your balance drops below a certain amount (lowest balance  threshold is $10, minimum reload amount is $20) or

On a preset monthly/weekly schedule, minimum reload amount $20

Separate balances are kept for regular amounts and pretax commuter benefit balances. 

Balance history is displayed as an option when viewing the current balance

The Charges tab also shows purchases/reloads for OMNY cards in addition to transit rides

I was not able to add pretax value from my debit card, it looks like my provider either blocked the OMNY site or hasnt whitelisted it. 

 

 

 

[Kamen Rider]

I just bought one at a 7/11 myself, in Queens.

[mikecintel]

2 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

I just bought one at a 7/11 myself, in Queens.

Oh Great! I am glad it is in Queens now.  It should be in the 5 borough soon.  I am just waiting for different colors on OMNY to show up and the unlimited option shows up.  B&W is so bland.  When you bought it at 7/11 they scan it and they ask you how much you put on the card?

[JeremiahC99]

3 hours ago, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

I was able to get my hands on an OMNY card at 711 in Manhattan. Several observations after registering it on the OMNY site (excuse the formatting, on mobile)

No minimum balance is required, unless you choose automatic $ reload (see below)

Automatic reload is possible in 1 of 2 ways.

When your balance drops below a certain amount (lowest balance  threshold is $10, minimum reload amount is $20) or

On a preset monthly/weekly schedule, minimum reload amount $20

Separate balances are kept for regular amounts and pretax commuter benefit balances. 

Balance history is displayed as an option when viewing the current balance

The Charges tab also shows purchases/reloads for OMNY cards in addition to transit rides

I was not able to add pretax value from my debit card, it looks like my provider either blocked the OMNY site or hasnt whitelisted it. 

 

 

 

Just got mine and registered it, and can confirm that I am seeing what you're seeing on the site.

3 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

I just bought one at a 7/11 myself, in Queens.

I bought mine at my local 7-Eleven in Brooklyn. Capped off almost two weeks of looking for them at Walgreens or other stores. Took me just one visit to my nearest 7-Eleven after stopping at Duane Reade to pick up family prescriptions. Walked in, went to the gift card rack, and not even a half turn of the gift card carousel later, I found the cars sitting on two hangars.

19 minutes ago, mikecintel said:

When you bought it at 7/11 they scan it and they ask you how much you put on the card?

Since I also got mine at 7-Eleven, my experience is that they scanned it, and they ask you how much you put on the card. I went with the round trip fare of $5.50. Receipt shows purchase fee plus the amount you requested.

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

1 hour ago, mikecintel said:

When you bought it at 7/11 they scan it and they ask you how much you put on the card?

Yep, they even ask you to confirm the "reload" amount on the touchscreen

[mikecintel]

1 hour ago, JeremiahC99 said:

Kamen Rider

Since I also got mine at 7-Eleven, my experience is that they scanned it, and they ask you how much you put on the card. I went with the round trip fare of $5.50. Receipt shows purchase fee plus the amount you requested.

Thanks for the info.  I really appreciate it.  When I am ready to purchase the OMNY card now I know what to expect.

Edited October 17, 2021 by mikecintel

[Amtrak41]

For adult, pay per ride purposes, and you have a contactless debit or credit card registered with OMNY, what reasons would you have for getting an OMNY card ? Risk of exposure or fraud ? 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, Amtrak41 said:

For adult, pay per ride purposes, and you have a contactless debit or credit card registered with OMNY, what reasons would you have for getting an OMNY card ? Risk of exposure or fraud ? 

For starters, not having random charges appear on your debit or credit card like I've had.  I've had to have THREE contactless cards replaced by my card issuer because of random charges from OMNY, some of them on days when I was not traveling. OMNY promised to address the problem and it was never fixed, as I either kept dealing with having to dispute charges, or OMNY suspending my card saying that I owed them money.  I'm over it already.  I just want an OMNY card that I can load money onto when I travel, and since I'm still work from home until sometime next year or perhaps beyond, this works best for me. I actually have switched back to just loading a Metrocard, but that's too much aggravation. I prefer OMNY, as I can reload online.

[mikecintel]

1 hour ago, Amtrak41 said:

For adult, pay per ride purposes, and you have a contactless debit or credit card registered with OMNY, what reasons would you have for getting an OMNY card ? Risk of exposure or fraud ? 

BINGO! yes it is a risk of exposure of credit/debit card numbers.  At least if it is an OMNY card it does not have your bank info

Edited October 19, 2021 by mikecintel

[Amtrak41]

3 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

For starters, not having random charges appear on your debit or credit card like I've had.  I've had to have THREE contactless cards replaced by my card issuer because of random charges from OMNY, some of them on days when I was not traveling. OMNY promised to address the problem and it was never fixed, as I either kept dealing with having to dispute charges, or OMNY suspending my card saying that I owed them money.  I'm over it already.  I just want an OMNY card that I can load money onto when I travel, and since I'm still work from home until sometime next year or perhaps beyond, this works best for me. I actually have switched back to just loading a Metrocard, but that's too much aggravation. I prefer OMNY, as I can reload online.

Sounds like your OMNY account might have been hacked.

First off, I only use a bank debit card with no minimum balance, no checks, no fees, no other uses, or any other account at that bank, so it is totally isolated, and keep balances under $15. 

Anyway, when I opened M&T Bank for that, M&T called one day a few months later to say we are replacing the card since it was hacked by someone in Europe. That card had never seen an ATM machine, and I was not recently in the New York subway. So I assume either M&T was hacked, or OMNY was. I will never know. I shut down M&T for unrelated reasons - discontinued ability to transfer funds online from other banks last January, and their upcoming merger with Peope's United, for which I would expect screw-ups, and degraded customer performance.  It is not a friendly merger. MBNA did some sabotage to BofA systems right after that takeover. 

I have since switched to Capital One. No problems and far and easier to use  superior online systems. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, Amtrak41 said:

Sounds like your OMNY account might have been hacked.

First off, I only use a bank debit card with no minimum balance, no checks, no fees, no other uses, or any other account at that bank, so it is totally isolated, and keep balances under $15. 

Anyway, when I opened M&T Bank for that, M&T called one day a few months later to say we are replacing the card since it was hacked by someone in Europe. That card had never seen an ATM machine, and I was not recently in the New York subway. So I assume either M&T was hacked, or OMNY was. I will never know. I shut down M&T for unrelated reasons - discontinued ability to transfer funds online from other banks last January, and their upcoming merger with Peope's United, for which I would expect screw-ups, and degraded customer performance.  It is not a friendly merger. MBNA did some sabotage to BofA systems right after that takeover. 

I have since switched to Capital One. No problems and far and easier to use  superior online systems. 

Not hacked. It's an OMNY issue that they're aware of, as other people have had the same issue.

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

On 10/19/2021 at 9:49 AM, Amtrak41 said:

For adult, pay per ride purposes, and you have a contactless debit or credit card registered with OMNY, what reasons would you have for getting an OMNY card ? Risk of exposure or fraud ? 

Also easier to use with pretax benefits cards. My provider, however, is blocking online OMNY reloads , claiming we can still use metrocards. But they dont block easypay or OMNY reader transactions!

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I got my OMNY card today in the City. Put $5.00 on it and reloaded with $22.00 online for four express bus rides. I'll start using it the next time I take the express bus. 

Edited October 21, 2021 by Via Garibaldi 8

[QM1to6Ave]

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I got my OMNY card today in the City. Put $5.00 on it and reloaded with $22.00 online for four express bus rides. I'll start using it the next time I take the express bus. 

If that fare capping tweet were to be confirmed, I’d buy it an a heartbeat. I’m just as disappointed as you with using a credit card directly to ta--. I used it all of two times, and they put on an extra recovery charge that I had to dispute. Pathetic.