5 new things with OMNY in New York City

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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 and there have been some changes since. In this video we are going to talk about everything from rolling fare cap, senior discounts, security issues and more regarding this contactless payment system. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe!

00:00 Intro
01:29 Why is OMNY a big deal?
02:20 Update 1 - Rolling Fare Cap
03:12 Update 2 - Security Issues
05:00 Update 3 - JFK Airport & Roosevelt Island Tram
05:36 Update 4 - OMNY Vending Machines at Stations
07:07 Update 5 - Senior & Disability Discounts
08:17 NY transit compared to the world

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Have you ever looked at New York City from a user experience standpoint?👀 How do you learn to live comfortably in a city with a density of 27,000 souls per square mile?👥 How come the best transit system in the country is actually not that good?🚇 These are the types of questions I prod on this channel. Make sure to sub and hit the bell so you won't miss future videos.🍿👍

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CREDITS:
Footage of Roosevelt Island Tram → 4kclips/Shutterstock
Image of OMNY on video thumbnail → Warren Eisenberg/Shutterstock

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[UrbanCaffeine]

UPDATE: I was informed (from an Instagram comment) that OMNY vending machines at select stations are functional. And there's a promo where you can buy an OMNY card for $1. 🙌

[JonathanS]

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.

[miles]

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.

[stez-nqhs]

I work at JFK and one thing I like to see with OMNY on AirTrain is the unlimited monthly rides. But in the meantime still have to use the reliable Metrocard.

[phoenixrambles]

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

[alk]

Would be nice if they added OMNY for PATH trains or the Nassau County bus. I still carry a Metrcard for these reasons.

[i_alam]

One thing I would note is the fact Metrocards are $1 and can be replaced for free. At this moment there is no plans to replace OMNY cards for free once they expire. That result the user paying again every 5 years until something changes.

[Sivah_Akash]

I don't live in NY, but I am glad I got myself a MetroCard last year! (I like to collect transit cards from all cities I have visited)

[roberttravel]

I love using OMNY when riding in the city, but north of the city, in Westchester, using Beeline buses, they don't have ONNY yet and not for another 2 years or so. So until Beeline buses have OMNY as well I'm still using an EasyPay metrocard.

[SnPSFan]

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 videos to prepare. Your videos 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!

[xiezicong]

"Moving mountains to get small incremental wins" will spiral me into a depression.

Thanks for the video! I'll celebrate this OMNY Odyssey.

[Zersker]

Would you consider doing a video on Access-A-Ride? They are the paratransit service for the disabled and those that cant use the regular bus/subway system. It's incredibly flawed and many new yorkers rely on this every day

[edouardbeauvais]

Been riding the subway since there were "Y" cutouts in the token...progress is good.OMNY odyssey

[dddk]

I adore your last points on praising a victory for any small progress in the US even though I am not an American citizen. 🎉

[Diman]

10:22
I felt exactly the same the first time I bought my city's monthly pass! And every month I still feel the same!

[jose.lisboa]

As you said, comparisons!!!
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.

[wildeone]

Just threw out my metro card this week. I live on Roosevelt Island and am so glad it's no longer needed. 🥳

[cybrmx]

I don’t why I’m excited about new Omny vending machine thanks

[olegariocamara]

I work with IT. What you guys are doing is a massive project. The amount of testing necessary to roll out something like OMNY is huge. Sometimes, things go under the radar, like the security problem in the dispute screen. I'm sure they are working on a solution for that. Paris has had their CARTE NAVIGO for a long time, but they still cap the fares for unlimited travel during the week from monday to sunday, so parisians can be jealous of new yorkers now as you fixed that.

[heybrymar]

Wonderful video, thank you for the updates. I will be traveling to NYC in April for the first time finally