Earlier this summer, PCAC launched a survey to hear from riders about how the MTA’s transition to OMNY is going so far, knowing that the agency plans to retire the MetroCard by the end of the year in conjunction with the 4% biennial fare increase. We asked about riders’ tapping habits, issues they’ve encountered, and new features they hope to see in the future.
Here are our takeaways!
- Many respondents expressed disappointment in losing the immediate feedback they get from their MetroCard, like seeing their remaining balance or expiration date, the peace of mind of knowing a free transfer has been honored, or if they hit the 7-day fare cap when tapping.
- Respondents who use OMNY are generally positive about the transition, but nearly 75% have encountered an issue of some kind.
- Of those who have submitted customer service complaints or tickets, a clear majority have not had their issue resolved. Riders lamented the lack of information available and an unhelpful chat function on the OMNY website as well as long wait times when attempting to speak to a customer service representative.
- The vast majority of riders want to see new features and integrations with OMNY, including free transfers to the LIRR and Metro-North, integrations with other transportation providers like NYC Ferry and Citi Bike and more fare options with fare capping, or a 30-day unlimited.
Of respondents, 47% use a physical OMNY card at least some of the time. 58% use a digital wallet/phone. 43% of respondents reported alternating between multiple modes of tapping— for example, occasionally using both an OMNY card and a physical credit card— which does not help to reach the weekly fare cap.
- Only 26% of respondents shared that they have not encountered any issues with OMNY.
- 42% of respondents have encountered issues with OMNY readers not accepting their tap.
- 34% have encountered late charges hours or days after tapping.
- 30% claim to have encountered what they perceive to be “extra charges.”
- 14% said they had been charged over $34 within one week without the fare cap automatically applying.
Across the board, respondents using Apple Pay or another digital wallet experienced higher than average rates of all reported issues. Meanwhile, physical OMNY card users reported lower than average rates of issues, and the highest rate of an issue-free OMNY experience.
On average, respondents ranked their overall experience using OMNY a 3.43 out of 5.
54% of respondents ranked their OMNY experience a 4 or 5 out of 5.
Respondents who interacted with OMNY customer service were less satisfied
22% of respondents have submitted a formal complaint or reached out to MTA customer service about an OMNY issue.
On average, respondents who interacted with OMNY customer service ranked their experience a 2.21 out of 5.
A majority of respondents want to see more features included with OMNY!
- 76% of respondents want to see free transfers to other transportation modes
- 64% of respondents want to see a 30-day unlimited fare cap
- 52% of respondents want to see a single-day unlimited fare cap
Respondents most want to see the following transportation services integrated with OMNY:
- NYC Ferry: 58%
- LIRR: 58%
- Metro-North: 55%
- PATH: 55%
- NJ Transit: 47%
Our Recommendations
Given the feedback from riders we received, PCAC recommends the following actions to improve OMNY and the rider experience:
- Update the OMNY interface so riders can immediately see their remaining balance, expiration date, free transfers, and whether they’ve met or are close to meeting the 7-day 12-ride fare cap before the MetroCard is retired. Riders need to see this information directly on the screen to better trust the system.
- Implement fare incentives focused on low-income riders and the heaviest users of the system at the same time as the fare increase, to help make the system more equitable and affordable, including:
- 30-day unlimited or fare cap
- A more robust Fair Fares program expanded to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and expanded to the LIRR and Metro-North in the city
- A weekly CityTicket with free transfers to subways and buses
- Invest in the OMNY website and customer service, so riders can clearly see their ride history and trips as they did in the past. Clean up the misinformation given by the OMNY Chatbot and ensure wait times for speaking with a representative are reasonable.
- Launch a major public information campaign to build trust and clear up common misconceptions about OMNY including personal data and security; ensuring that everyone knows OMNY can still be used without a bank account; explaining the concept of fare capping; and telling riders why the MTA is switching to OMNY—it’s not a conspiracy to track riders, it’s an opportunity to improve the way they pay for transit.
- Better integrate OMNY website features into the MTA app to streamline the user experience in the future.
- Work internally and with external partners to better integrate OMNY with the LIRR and Metro-North, as well as NYC Ferry, PATH, Citi Bike, and other regional services to offer fare incentives and better connections.
- Better integrate MTA branding on the OMNY cards and machines. OMNY doesn’t currently look or feel like an MTA product but should be an iconic NYC symbol like the subway token and MetroCard before it.