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OMNY Implementation/Metro-Card Retirement Discussion Thread


Lawrence St

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https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-omny-path-new-jersey-mta-payment-system-20190620-42cv47vmfrb4nifzvj3sosb4hm-story.html

PATH will replace SmartLink with OMNY by 2022.

The first step towards an integrated fare system. Imagine being able to transfer from NYCT to PATH and vice-versa for a 25 or 50 cent fee?

A man can dream.

Edited by LTA1992
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And PATH will be the first non-MTA entity to sign on to OMNY:

Quote

New Jersey is jumping on the OMNY bandwagon.

PATH officials announced Thursday that the agency will partner with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to implement the new tap-and-pay system at its 13 stations by the end of 2022.

The OMNY system allows riders to pay for their rides with their smartphones or credit cards equipped with a special chip. The MTA began testing it at a limited number of subway stations and on Staten Island buses last month.

OMNY will completely replace the MetroCard and PATH’s SmartLink cards in 2023.

When the system is rolled out, New Jersey riders will no longer be required to carry multiple fare cards to travel throughout the city. Those with pay-per-ride MetroCards can currently swipe into PATH stations, but unlimited passes are not compatible with the interstate service. The OMNY system will allow riders to store passes for both systems on their smartphones.

The OMNY announcement is a part of a $1 billion initiative to rapidly improve PATH service over the next three years, which will increase capacity on the rail network amid booming ridership.

The average weekday ridership on PATH is currently just over 280,000, a 14% increase from 2012.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-omny-path-new-jersey-mta-payment-system-20190620-42cv47vmfrb4nifzvj3sosb4hm-story.html

It's also mentioned on page 19 of this PDF: http://www.panynj.gov/path/pdf/PATH_Implementation_Plan.pdf

Quote

New Fare Payment System: 2021/2022

Capital Investment to Upgrade Fare Payment System

Adopt MTA OMNY Technology

PATH becomes an “affiliate”
Financial, technical, and back office processing agreement with the MTA Technology agreement with Cubic
Retrofit all PATH turnstiles

Enable Mobile & Contactless Credit Cards Fare Payment

Eliminate Need For Multiple Fare Cards

SmartLink & Metrocard Remain Until 2023 

I've also heard that NJT and NYC Ferry are also actively considering the technology themselves but nothing official yet.

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14 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

I've also heard that NJT and NYC Ferry are also actively considering the technology themselves but nothing official yet.

If NJT gets involved, is it possible that SEPTA could join?  I'm just thinking that OMNY could become the E-ZPass of Public Transit in the region 

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3 minutes ago, WorkerX said:

If NJT gets involved, is it possible that SEPTA could join?  I'm just thinking that OMNY could become the E-ZPass of Public Transit in the region 

Dosent SEPTA already have a tap & go system or am I thinking of Washington.

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24 minutes ago, WorkerX said:

If NJT gets involved, is it possible that SEPTA could join?  I'm just thinking that OMNY could become the E-ZPass of Public Transit in the region 

If (NJT) Transit does get involved with OMNY it could work. However, readers would only be installed in depots that have service into New York City. (Which depot the 319- Atlantic City-to NYC run out of?)

For (SEPTA)  I don’t think would want to participate with OMNY. However, if they do it changes the whole scope of travel between NYC and Philly. 

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On 6/20/2019 at 9:19 PM, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

A step in the right direction, a necessary one IMO. 

Lets see what the Roosevelt Island Tram, Beeline, Long Island Bus, etc do next

MTA already confirmed that NICE and BeeLine will join OMNY Suffolk County bus might join as well. I feel the tram will be an obvious yes to OMNY as well as Airtrain

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On 6/21/2019 at 6:42 AM, WorkerX said:

If NJT gets involved, is it possible that SEPTA could join?  I'm just thinking that OMNY could become the E-ZPass of Public Transit in the region 

 

On 6/21/2019 at 6:46 AM, Lawrence St said:

Dosent SEPTA already have a tap & go system or am I thinking of Washington.

One possible model is Japan, where each train operator has its own tap-and-go but they are all actually usable on each others systems, the way stores don't have separate payment terminals for Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, etc.

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2 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

When is the next phase? What does it include?

According to the brochures, they were giving out on the first day, the next phase is "Activate additional subway stations and bus routes in late 2019" [Yeah very vague I know...]

Pure speculation here but I could see the next activation being the (4)(5)(6) from 42nd to 125th or Yankee Stadium (captive tourist audience there) and the remaining express buses given that they've started installing readers at 51st Street and that express buses have the no coins policy.

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4 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

 

One possible model is Japan, where each train operator has its own tap-and-go but they are all actually usable on each others systems, the way stores don't have separate payment terminals for Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, etc.

Japan man..  always ahead of the game..

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just used OMNY today at Atlantic using Google Pay. Minor flub initially, possibly because the phone wasn't unlocked, but man it felt great not having to fumble my metrocard out of my wallet to swipe it. I only did it because there was no further transfer needed to get to my destination, of course in that case I'd have to stick to the legacy system.

A tap in and tap out system could be great for the railroads, and I'd love to see that be implemented. I do see one potential issue though. These readers would be installed on platform. Let's say a commuter is taking a train from Penn right after PM peak concludes (8 PM) but taps into the platform at 7:59. Would he then be charged more because his tap in was during peak? This is the same principle for anyone who taps in anywhere on the system, and the same for morning peak, although for the morning the passenger would get the advantage pricing. OMNY would know where and when you start and and, but not necessarily which train you take. I know Septa has peak hours to an extent, but not sure how they work it out. Any possible solutions to this?

For implementations on other systems, of course on NICE and Bee-line they are a must. Suffolk Transit actually already has a fairly robust farebox that can take many different payment methods, as well as an actually effective app that you can buy every ticket type on. However, especially if OMNY has widespread use on the LIRR, that could be beneficial to encourage bus to train transfers, which currently has no price advantage, having to pay full fare on both (side-note: has anyone actually used Metrocard to pay for a RR ticket? I know that option is there, but have legitimately never seen anyone use it.). This could be a first sign of really being "One Metro" and pulling SCT into the regional connections.

I think the more important discussion for cross-agency efforts here is NJT. Trains, yes, please make it the same system that LIRR and MNR use. Actually, while we're west of the Hudson, what about Transport of Rockland (TOR)? A smaller agency, yes, but they are currently cash-only, and could use some upgrades. Besides, they're operated, along with NICE, who will be getting the system, by Transdev, so I'd wonder if it would be extraordinarily difficult to make that happen. Actually, they need upgrades as a system, too. To my knowledge, they don't have a GTFS feed for app developers, which in turn means no live tracking. Basically, TOR needs some TLC in general. I digress, back to it.

New Jersey Transit buses. They have an app, yes. The only other option for single ride tickets seems to be cash, exact. Looping their buses in statewide could be hugely effective in practice, making commuters' lives much easier. It could also be hugely symbolic. The "One Metro New York" name got some eyebrow raises at first mention, but I think it is a fantastic initiative to strive for. NJT buses is a must if that is the goal.

Who knows, maybe one day even CT Transit? That's definitely reaching further than one would, but it would further creating a system where a person could get anywhere in our metro area with one payment system. Whether you're on the Jersey Shore, in the Hudson Highlands, along the Connecticut River, or at the meeting point of the Twin Forks, you are part of One Metro New York. And that's freakin cool.

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On 7/7/2019 at 1:12 PM, RES2773 said:

Suffolk Transit actually already has a fairly robust farebox that can take many different payment methods, as well as an actually effective app that you can buy every ticket type on.

I know, it's a shame that the service is essentially random though.

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On 7/7/2019 at 1:12 PM, RES2773 said:

I think the more important discussion for cross-agency efforts here is NJT. Trains, yes, please make it the same system that LIRR and MNR use.

[snip]

New Jersey Transit buses. They have an app, yes. The only other option for single ride tickets seems to be cash, exact. Looping their buses in statewide could be hugely effective in practice, making commuters' lives much easier. It could also be hugely symbolic. The "One Metro New York" name got some eyebrow raises at first mention, but I think it is a fantastic initiative to strive for. NJT buses is a must if that is the goal.

I have to agree here...

Getting NJT on OMNY and as a byproduct of that, getting them out of the single ticket mindset would be fantastic...

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