End of an era as New York City transit retires three-decade-old MetroCard | New York
First, New Yorkers saw the elimination of the half-century-old subway token. Now it has seen the demise of its successor, the swipeable MetroCard, which barely lasted more than three decades.
At midnight on January 1, the sale of the credit card-sized flexible pass, which millions of New Yorkers use to pass through subway turnstiles, will be terminated with the new mayor Zohran Mamdani taking office.
The public transportation system will fully transition to Omny, a contactless payment system that allows passengers to use their credit card, phone or other smart device to pay fares like they would for other purchases.
But the end of the MetroCard brought mixed emotions. The 30-day unlimited ride option allowed travelers to feel like kings or queens of the city, roaming as they pleased, seemingly free to roam the length and breadth of the subway system and surface on a whim.
It had its disadvantages; The MetroCard can fail to read the notoriously sensitive magnetic stripe, abruptly halting the driver’s progress toward the turnstile gate and forcing them to back up to try again.
Too many cards could also cause problems and delays; because the hangers-on were idly swiping each one for a valid fee until one worked, or the card returned to the vending machine for a refill or a brand new card.
At its inception in 1994, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) launched public campaigns to teach commuters how to properly swipe the originally blue-colored cards, following the phasing out of the previous brass token.
Jodi Shapiro, curator of the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, who opened an exhibit reflecting on the MetroCard’s legacy earlier this month, told The Associated Press that the MetroCard was revolutionary in its time.
“There was resistance to switching from tokens to something else because of the way tokens worked,” Shapiro said. “MetroCards gave New Yorkers a whole new level of thinking.”
MetroCard has also become a promotional tool; The city has released commemorative editions, including one to celebrate baseball’s home team World Series between the New York Mets and New York Yankees in 2000.
David Bowie, Olivia Rodrigo, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious BIG and LL Cool J have also graced the card over the years, as have New York TV shows like Seinfeld and Law & Order.
In order for the MetroCard to be read correctly, a specific technique had to be used, requiring a specific angle of attack and speed through the turnstile sensor; this was a learned technique that distinguished New Yorkers from interventionists.
During her failed 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. senator from New York, endured five excruciating blows at the Bronx turnstile before achieving success. His progressive Democratic rival at the time, U.S. senator Bernie Sanders, a Brooklyn native, didn’t even realize the brass tokens had been replaced with a MetroCard when he tried it.
The unlimited card was also a way to offer fee-free charity to fellow New Yorkers, as passengers exiting the subway system could switch with another card without paying another fee.
The New York Times reported that a symbolic funeral was held in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park on Tuesday for the lost MetroCard. Several dozen people attended, some chanting “swipe, swipe” to commemorate its passage into technological history. CBS News film from the ceremony.
“When we were broke, when we were late, when we were stuck on the train with one swipe to the left, and with that hope, that hope in our hearts, the MetroCard was there,” said Dupree God, who helped organize the MetroCard sendoff. he told Spectrum 1 News.
Kaicey Rahn said that the MetroCard, which will continue to be accepted but not sold until 2026, will be remembered as a kind of travel companion on late-night trips in the city.
“Who do we call?” Rahn said. “We are calling for MetroCard. From now on, we will remember its absence every time we board the train.”
