Good morning! I’m Kara Gurl, Planning and Advocacy Manager at the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
Earlier this month, PCAC launched a survey to hear from riders about the transition to OMNY. We asked about their tapping habits, whether they’ve experienced any issues, and what features and integrations they want to see in the future.
We’ve found that riders want to make sure that OMNY will give them the best fare option available, without having to think about it or second-guess that they’ll be overcharged. We understand that OMNY’s backend had some issues last month leading to charges showing up after they were made, and that those have been worked out. But riders should be able to immediately see—whether on the reader itself or on their devices—whether their transfer was honored, they’ve hit their fare cap and how much they were charged.
Riders also told us they want OMNY to be a chance for new—and more—features and functionality, like transfers to other modes like ferries and Citi Bike, without losing their favorite things about the MetroCard, like a 30-day fare option. We know it’s possible—London and other cities have done it—and we hope Cubic will work with the MTA to make it happen. More to come on our survey results soon, but if you haven’t taken it, go to pcac.org/OMNYsurvey!
We were also proud to rally with Council Speaker Adams, Riders Alliance, and the Community Service Society earlier this month in support of Fair Fares expansion. PCAC released a new report showing that over 415,000 New Yorkers in every Council district of the city would benefit from expansion to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Fair Fares is a vital lifeline for low-income New Yorkers to access transit, and we urge you to put pressure on the city to finally expand the program to include minimum wage workers before the budget is finalized.
Lastly, we’re looking forward to seeing the Queens Bus Network Redesign begin implementation! We’ll be out as Ambassadors and continue to monitor feedback from riders as the changes take effect and hope to see bus speeds increase. Thank you.