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OMNY Implementation/MetroCard Retirement Discussion Thread Bus Division


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I used OMNY this morning with my contactless transit benefits card taking the QM20 inbound and the QM2 outbound.  The taps were about 2.5 hours apart from each other but when reviewing my OMNY account, it listed the outbound QM2 trip as a free transfer.  Is that just a OMNY quirk or something that will be reconciled off hours?  I didn't think express bus to express bus transfers were permitted other than that one BxM route.

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2 hours ago, 7-express said:

I used OMNY this morning with my contactless transit benefits card taking the QM20 inbound and the QM2 outbound.  The taps were about 2.5 hours apart from each other but when reviewing my OMNY account, it listed the outbound QM2 trip as a free transfer.  Is that just a OMNY quirk or something that will be reconciled off hours?  I didn't think express bus to express bus transfers were permitted other than that one BxM route.

Not an OMNY quirk. You got a free transfer for a round trip. At least for now, I don't think there are any restrictions. With the Metrocard, I believe that you can't complete certain roundtrips on some QM lines.

Regardless, you get a free transfer to another express bus, provided it's not the same route, so it could be the QM2 to the BxM2 or the QM6 to the QM2. 

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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20 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Not an OMNY quirk. You got a free transfer for a round trip. At least for now, I don't think there are any restrictions. With the Metrocard, I believe that you can't complete certain roundtrips on some QM lines.

Regardless, you get a free transfer to another express bus, provided it's not the same route, so it could be the QM2 to the BxM2 or the QM6 to the QM2. 

Oh Cool.  Can that be done on the local bus like Q25 to Flushing and take back Q25 to College Point.  That will be GREAT that is what I wanted.  I wonder when is is fully rolled out the MTA should explain all the details.

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21 minutes 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....

 

 

Not really. Fare capping means that after a certain amount of trips, the fare paid is capped so you pay out a certain amount and after that, you essentially get rides for free for a certain period of time. It could be a day or a week or what have you.

25 minutes ago, mikecintel said:

Oh Cool.  Can that be done on the local bus like Q25 to Flushing and take back Q25 to College Point.  That will be GREAT that is what I wanted.  I wonder when is is fully rolled out the MTA should explain all the details.

That's not the same thing. The example given with the QM2 and QM20 is that they are different routes, even if they are considered branches to some extent, so for example, if you took say the Q25 one way and the Q65 another way, that would likely get you a round trip on one fare, which is essentially what happened with 7-express, as you would pay for the Q25, but then get a free transfer to take the Q65 back.  If you took the Q25 both ways, that would not give you a free transfer. There are some trips that the (MTA) tries to stop people from doing on one fare, as they are probably aware of these tactics. For example, at least with the Metrocard, I don't believe you can take say the M101 one way and the M102 another way on one fare, so some people make take the M15 one way and the M101 the other way to then get a round trip for only $2.75.

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2 hours ago, mikecintel said:

Oh Cool.  Can that be done on the local bus like Q25 to Flushing and take back Q25 to College Point.  That will be GREAT that is what I wanted.  I wonder when is is fully rolled out the MTA should explain all the details.

I've done it before for local buses for short trips.  An example would be to take the Q44-SBS inbound and the Q20A outbound as long as you're within the free transfer window.  The trick won't work for the same line though.  Just interesting to know that it also works between express buses, since I thought the transfer only applied between local routes/subway and the express bus.

It's probably such a small loophole that it's not commonly used, since it requires a short round trip within the free transfer window and two dissimilar routes.  It works if you live in a good spot between two or more bus routes but less so elsewhere.

Edited by 7-express
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2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Not really. Fare capping means that after a certain amount of trips, the fare paid is capped so you pay out a certain amount and after that, you essentially get rides for free for a certain period of time. It could be a day or a week or what have you.

That's not the same thing. The example given with the QM2 and QM20 is that they are different routes, even if they are considered branches to some extent, so for example, if you took say the Q25 one way and the Q65 another way, that would likely get you a round trip on one fare, which is essentially what happened with 7-express, as you would pay for the Q25, but then get a free transfer to take the Q65 back.  If you took the Q25 both ways, that would not give you a free transfer. There are some trips that the (MTA) tries to stop people from doing on one fare, as they are probably aware of these tactics. For example, at least with the Metrocard, I don't believe you can take say the M101 one way and the M102 another way on one fare, so some people make take the M15 one way and the M101 the other way to then get a round trip for only $2.75.

OK I see about the fare capping thanks. The MTA should specify the capping so people will know  up to what amount then it is free for the day or what.  That I am new too because I never had that before.  I am still a bit confused so for example if you have a $20.00 OMNY and after you use up $20.00 OMNY the rest of the day is free or the week.  I went to the OMNY website and they still did not mention about "fare capping".  Regarding about but I though it would be the same line and if that is I will be really happy. I was about to get excited.

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55 minutes ago, 7-express said:

I've done it before for local buses for short trips.  An example would be to take the Q44-SBS inbound and the Q20A outbound as long as you're within the free transfer window.  The trick won't work for the same line though.  Just interesting to know that it also works between express buses, since I thought the transfer only applied between local routes/subway and the express bus.

It's probably such a small loophole that it's not commonly used, since it requires a short round trip within the free transfer window and two dissimilar routes.  It works if you live in a good spot between two or more bus routes but less so elsewhere.

Yes I see I got my "hopes" up that it will work on the same line LOL.

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7 hours ago, 7-express said:

I used OMNY this morning with my contactless transit benefits card taking the QM20 inbound and the QM2 outbound.  The taps were about 2.5 hours apart from each other but when reviewing my OMNY account, it listed the outbound QM2 trip as a free transfer.  Is that just a OMNY quirk or something that will be reconciled off hours?  I didn't think express bus to express bus transfers were permitted other than that one BxM route.

2.5 hours? The current Metrocard free transfer is about 2 hours 15 minutes although officially its 2 hours. I wonder what the limit for OMNY is. Maybe I should test it out one day.

1 hour ago, mikecintel said:

OK I see about the fare capping thanks. The MTA should specify the capping so people will know  up to what amount then it is free for the day or what.  That I am new too because I never had that before.  I am still a bit confused so for example if you have a $20.00 OMNY and after you use up $20.00 OMNY the rest of the day is free or the week.  I went to the OMNY website and they still did not mention about "fare capping".  Regarding about but I though it would be the same line and if that is I will be really happy. I was about to get excited.

I don't believe fare capping is active yet. I think the (MTA) only mention that the card has the capacity to do that. Not part of the official tariffs yet which will require board approval

Edited by Mtatransit
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7 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

I don't believe fare capping is active yet. I think the (MTA) only mention that the card has the capacity to do that. Not part of the official tariffs yet which will require board approval

OK thanks I see.  I think they approve it otherwise they will not write it on twitter. We just have to wait...I think when they announce the fare structures and it is released then we will have more info.

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11 hours ago, 7-express said:

I've done it before for local buses for short trips.  An example would be to take the Q44-SBS inbound and the Q20A outbound as long as you're within the free transfer window.  The trick won't work for the same line though.  Just interesting to know that it also works between express buses, since I thought the transfer only applied between local routes/subway and the express bus.

It's probably such a small loophole that it's not commonly used, since it requires a short round trip within the free transfer window and two dissimilar routes.  It works if you live in a good spot between two or more bus routes but less so elsewhere.

 

9 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

2.5 hours? The current Metrocard free transfer is about 2 hours 15 minutes although officially its 2 hours. I wonder what the limit for OMNY is. Maybe I should test it out one day.

I don't believe fare capping is active yet. I think the (MTA) only mention that the card has the capacity to do that. Not part of the official tariffs yet which will require board approval

It's supposed to be two hours and 18 minutes for the transfer via OMNY, just like the Metrocard, so they say anyway. 

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22 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

After OMNY is fully rolled out, will Select Bus still need to be a thing? If passengers can board any bus through any door and tap to pay, then all SBS routes will effectively be "demoted" to Limited (or even local).

It kinda depends on if DOT wants to make the "red carpet" treatment of TSP, bus lanes and bus bulbs a separately named program.

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I'm done looking for the OMNY card. Went into 7/11, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Duane Reade and NONE of them knew wtf I was talking about, but people said they got it from those SPECIFIC locations. Like not just any 7/11, I went into the exact 7/11 they said they got it from but the workers had no idea when I showed them the pic. Until the MTA says exactly where it's at (like how they said what subway and bus lines have it) I'm not looking/buying it. 

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7 minutes ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I'm done looking for the OMNY card. Went into 7/11, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Duane Reade and NONE of them knew wtf I was talking about, but people said they got it from those SPECIFIC locations. Like not just any 7/11, I went into the exact 7/11 they said they got it from but the workers had no idea when I showed them the pic. Until the MTA says exactly where it's at (like how they said what subway and bus lines have it) I'm not looking/buying it. 

Did you actually look in the stores, or did you just walk up to the staff? I went to the 7-11 by Avenue J and easily spotted it on the gift card rack. (Buying it was another story, as the clerk seemed to have no idea of how to actually perform the transaction, leading me to walking out without it, but the point is that I found it with ease.)

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23 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

2.5 hours? The current Metrocard free transfer is about 2 hours 15 minutes although officially its 2 hours. I wonder what the limit for OMNY is. Maybe I should test it out one day.

I don't believe fare capping is active yet. I think the (MTA) only mention that the card has the capacity to do that. Not part of the official tariffs yet which will require board approval

Yup...I tapped into the QM20 at 7:30 and then onto the QM2 at 10:00.  Definitely over that 2 hours and 15 mins.

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1 hour ago, Lex said:

Did you actually look in the stores, or did you just walk up to the staff? I went to the 7-11 by Avenue J and easily spotted it on the gift card rack. (Buying it was another story, as the clerk seemed to have no idea of how to actually perform the transaction, leading me to walking out without it, but the point is that I found it with ease.)

I asked them at 7/11, they said no. Then I looked around the entire store because I really wanted and couldn't find it. I did the same at CVS, walked around the whole gift card rack and then asked them. After these two fails, I just walked in the other stores and asked the cashier if they had any and I got "No", "Nope". 

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4 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I asked them at 7/11, they said no. Then I looked around the entire store because I really wanted and couldn't find it. I did the same at CVS, walked around the whole gift card rack and then asked them. After these two fails, I just walked in the other stores and asked the cashier if they had any and I got "No", "Nope". 

From my experience, most 7/11 seem to have them in stock. However alot of them are unable to be activated for whatever reason. I eventually did pick one up at a 7/11.

 

Never seen it anywhere else though (CVS, Rite Aid, etc)

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8 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I'm done looking for the OMNY card. Went into 7/11, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Duane Reade and NONE of them knew wtf I was talking about, but people said they got it from those SPECIFIC locations. Like not just any 7/11, I went into the exact 7/11 they said they got it from but the workers had no idea when I showed them the pic. Until the MTA says exactly where it's at (like how they said what subway and bus lines have it) I'm not looking/buying it. 

7 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I asked them at 7/11, they said no. Then I looked around the entire store because I really wanted and couldn't find it. I did the same at CVS, walked around the whole gift card rack and then asked them. After these two fails, I just walked in the other stores and asked the cashier if they had any and I got "No", "Nope". 

This is all news to me... While I've been seeing a lot more people using the OMNY cards to board buses, I never put any thought into where/how they were obtaining the things... Reason being, I'm in no rush to get one.... When, or around the actual week/day the metrocard gets phased out, that's when I'll get one... But reading these two posts of yours, IDK whether to chuckle or SMFH... You gotta go on an easter egg hunt to try to find this shit? I'm sorry, but I'm not going into no store in hopes of getting one of these things...

Basically, I'm saying this to say that I don't blame you one bit for throwing your hands up with it all....

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1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

This is all news to me... While I've been seeing a lot more people using the OMNY cards to board buses, I never put any thought into where/how they were obtaining the things... Reason being, I'm in no rush to get one.... When, or around the actual week/day the metrocard gets phased out, that's when I'll get one... But reading these two posts of yours, IDK whether to chuckle or SMFH... You gotta go on an easter egg hunt to try to find this shit? I'm sorry, but I'm not going into no store in hopes of getting one of these things...

Basically, I'm saying this to say that I don't blame you one bit for throwing your hands up with it all....

Go ahead, laugh 😂. I'm laughing at myself as well. I hate the metrocard. Been waiting years for contactless! I hate the metrocard even more now because my transit benefits card isn't capable of NFC. Only time I use OMNY is if I'm paying with my own money. With the OMNY card I can add money to it from my benefits card via the OMNY website. 

 

 

Question...OMNY cards can last 7 years...anyone know how much money you can add onto the card? Is there like a $500 limit now or still $99? Also, if you lose a OMNY card, is that money lost or can you just activate a new card and the money on file in your account gets synced to that one?

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3 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

Go ahead, laugh 😂. I'm laughing at myself as well. I hate the metrocard. Been waiting years for contactless! I hate the metrocard even more now because my transit benefits card isn't capable of NFC. Only time I use OMNY is if I'm paying with my own money. With the OMNY card I can add money to it from my benefits card via the OMNY website. 

 

 

Question...OMNY cards can last 7 years...anyone know how much money you can add onto the card? Is there like a $500 limit now or still $99? Also, if you lose a OMNY card, is that money lost or can you just activate a new card and the money on file in your account gets synced to that one?

The 7/11 on 1st Avenue & E 87 Street has them, got mines from that location, and someone just recently got theirs today. Though I'd be quick, cuz they're selling out in the blink of an eye, which is another factor which has made it difficult to purchase on top of some locations not yet receiving their batch/updating their POS Systems to recognize the cards. The limit is $600 on the OMNY Card, you can add whatever you want in cash or card at a retail location, or reload it on the omny.info site with a credit/debit card. Apparently if you lose the OMNY Card, you can suspend it if you register it to your OMNY Account, and you can link a new OMNY Card in which you can use the balance frozen from a lost one.

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56 minutes ago, WestFarms36 said:

The 7/11 on 1st Avenue & E 87 Street has them, got mines from that location, and someone just recently got theirs today. Though I'd be quick, cuz they're selling out in the blink of an eye, which is another factor which has made it difficult to purchase on top of some locations not yet receiving their batch/updating their POS Systems to recognize the cards. The limit is $600 on the OMNY Card, you can add whatever you want in cash or card at a retail location, or reload it on the omny.info site with a credit/debit card. Apparently if you lose the OMNY Card, you can suspend it if you register it to your OMNY Account, and you can link a new OMNY Card in which you can use the balance frozen from a lost one.

That is EXCELLENT! For the 7/11 locations, is it cash only or can you buy one with a card or what?

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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14 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That is EXCELLENT! For the 7/11 locations, is it cash only or can you buy one with a card or what?

You could use cash or card to purchase and refill. Depends supply & demand for those locations, and if the POS Systems at those locations have been updated to register the cards. Most 7/11's are selling them already, though a handful have sold out and have had to put in more orders for OMNY Cards. Speedway's in Staten Island have also been selling them as well, and a handful of CFSC Cash Checking's (Name dropping the spot on Lexington Av & E 29 St).

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15 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I'm done looking for the OMNY card. Went into 7/11, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Duane Reade and NONE of them knew wtf I was talking about, but people said they got it from those SPECIFIC locations. Like not just any 7/11, I went into the exact 7/11 they said they got it from but the workers had no idea when I showed them the pic. Until the MTA says exactly where it's at (like how they said what subway and bus lines have it) I'm not looking/buying it. 

Don't even bother looking at these locations yet. Some 7/11's haven't been able to update their POS Systems to register the OMNY Cards, though the 7/11 on 1 Av & E 87 St is selling them, which is where I got mines from, as well as the 7/11 on 14 St & 2 Av (though they had 2 left when I last checked, so idk if they restocked), then there's a Speedway in Staten Island on Edgewater St & Willow Avenue that also has and is selling them. Since these cards are still being shipped, I don't expect there to be a list of retail locations until at least a few weeks from now. At the moment, it's just pure luck of walking into the right spot.

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