The MetroCard is a discontinued magnetic stripe card used for fare payment on transportation in the New York City area. It was a payment method for the New York City Subway (including the Staten Island Railway), New York City Transit buses, and MTA buses. Several partner agencies also accepted the MetroCard: Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE Bus), the PATH train system, the Roosevelt Island Tramway, AirTrain JFK, and Westchester County's Bee-Line Bus System.
The MetroCard was introduced in 1994 to enhance the technology of the transit system and eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting tokens. The MTA discontinued the use of tokens in the subway on May 3, 2003, and on buses on December 31, 2003.
The MetroCard was phased out at the end of 2025. It was replaced by OMNY, a contactless payment system where riders pay for their fare by waving or tapping credit or debit bank cards, smartphones, or MTA-issued smart cards. MetroCard distribution, sales, and ability to add value or passes ended by December 31, 2025. Remaining kiosks and turnstile systems will continue to operate until they are discontinued, the exact date to be announced later in 2026. 7-day or 30-day Unlimited Ride passes must begin use by March 31, 2026 to get the full term of use.
The MetroCard was managed by a division of the MTA known as Revenue Control, MetroCard Sales, which was part of the Office of the Executive Vice President. The MetroCard Vending Machines are manufactured by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. As of early 2019, the direct costs of the MetroCard system had totaled $1.5 billion.
History and fares The idea for a farecard with a magnetic strip for the MTA system was proposed in 1983. It was the "highest priority" for then-MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch. The card would replace the tokens that were, at the time, used to pay transit fares. This plan was generally supported by the public. In 1984, Ravitch's successor Bob Kiley said that he would try to create a system for the new farecards within the next four years. However, bureaucratic actions and disagreements delayed the rollout of the system. In March 1990, the MTA board voted to allocate funding for the magnetic fare collection system. Three months later, the New York state legislature voted to allow the MTA to proceed for its plans for the new system. By 1991, the token technology was becoming dated: almost all other transit systems were using magnetic farecards, which were found to be much cheaper than the token system. In July of that year, the MTA board approved the roll-out of the magnetic farecard system. The MTA opened a request for bids to furnish and operate the farecard system, and Cubic Transportation Systems offered the lowest bid at $100 million.
On October 30, 1992, the installation of Automated Fare Collection turnstiles began. The farecard system was given the name MetroCard by April 1993. At the time, the first subway stations were supposed to receive MetroCard-compatible turnstiles before year's end, and buses were scheduled to be retrofitted with MetroCard collection equipment by late 1995. On June 1, 1993, MTA distributed 3,000 MetroCards in the first major test of the technology for the entire subway and bus systems. Less than a year later, on January 6, 1994, MetroCard-compatible turnstiles opened at Wall Street on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line () and Whitehall Street–South Ferry on the BMT Broadway Line (). All MetroCard turnstiles were installed by May 14, 1997, when the entire bus and subway system accepted MetroCard.
On September 28, 1995, buses on Staten Island started accepting MetroCard, and by the end of 1995, MetroCard was accepted on all New York City Transit buses.
Before 1997, the MetroCard design was blue with yellow lettering. These blue cards are now collector's items. On July 4, 1997, the first free transfers were made available between bus and subway at any location with MetroCard. This program was originally billed as MetroCard Gold. Card colors changed to the current blue lettering on goldenrod background. On January 1, 1998, bonus free rides (10% of the purchase amount) were given for purchases of $15 or more. On July 4, six months later, 7-Day and 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCards were introduced, at $17 and $63, respectively. A 30-day Express Bus Plus MetroCard, allowing unlimited rides on express buses in addition to local buses and the subway, was also introduced at $120. The 1-Day Fun Pass was introduced on January 1, 1999, at a cost of $4. The debut of the MetroCard allowed the MTA to add bonus fare incentives, such as free bus transfers to other buses or subways. Half of the ridership increase between 1997 and 1999 was attributed to these incentives.
The first MetroCard Vending Machines (MVMs) were installed on January 25, 1999, in two stations, and by the end of 1999 347 MVMs were in service at 74 stations. Retail stores also sold MetroCards; at the peak of the MetroCard's usage, more than 3,000 stores sold the product. On April 13, 2003, tokens were no longer sold. Starting May 4, 2003, tokens were no longer accepted, except on buses. The following fare increases were implemented: Base fare increased from $1.50 to $2.00 1-Day Unlimited MetroCard fare increased from $4 to $7 7-Day Unlimited MetroCard fare increased from $17 to $21 30-day Express Bus Plus was replaced with a 7-day Express Bus Plus card, which cost $33 each. 30-Day Unlimited MetroCard fare increased from $63 to $70 The bonus for pay-per-ride increased to 20% of the purchase amount for purchases of $10 or more Tokens would be phased out, but for the next two months they acted as $1.50 credit towards a $2 bus ride.
On February 27, 2005, another fare hike occurred: 7-day Express Bus Plus increased by $8, to $41. 7-Day Unlimited increased by $3, to $24. 30-Day Unlimited increased by $6, to $76. On April 1, 2007, MetroCard started to be accepted by the Westchester Bee-Line Bus System as all of its buses were now equipped with new fareboxes that could accept MetroCard.
On March 2, 2008, another set of fare increases was implemented: 1-Day Unlimited fare increased by 50 cents, to $7.50. 7-Day Unlimited fare increased by $1, to $25. 14-Day Unlimited was introduced for $47. 30-Day Unlimited increased by $5, to $81. The bonus for pay-per-ride decreased to 15% of the purchase amount for purchases of $7 or more.
On June 28, 2009, the agency had its second fare hike in as many years: The base fare and single-ride ticket increased by 25 cents, to $2.25. 1-Day Unlimited fare increased by 75 cents, to $8.25. 7-Day Unlimited fare increased by $7, to $27. 7-Day Express Bus Plus fare increased by $4, to $45. 14-Day Unlimited fare increased by $4.50, to $51.50. 30-Day Unlimited increased by $8, to $89. The minimum purchase for a pay-per-ride bonus rose to $8.
On December 30, 2010, the bonus value for Pay-Per-Ride decreased to 7% for every $10, and the 1-Day Fun Pass and the 14-Day Unlimited Ride were discontinued altogether. Additionally: 7-Day Unlimited fare increased by $2, to $29. 7-Day Express Bus Plus fare increased by $5, to $50. 30-Day Unlimited fare increased by $15, to $104.
In 2012, the MTA allowed advertisements to be printed on the fronts of MetroCards. The backs of MetroCards had already been used for advertisements since 1995. This change meant that advertisers could remove the MTA logo from the fronts of MetroCards.
As a result of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, three free transfers were offered on the MetroCard. The first was between the Q22, the Q35, and the at the Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College subway station. The second between the Q22, either the Q52 Limited or the Q53 Limited, and the at the Rockaway Boulevard station. Finally, a three-hour transfer window applied from transfers from any subway station to the Q22 or Q113 routes of MTA Bus, and then to the n31, n32, and n33 routes of NICE."Rebuilding the Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy: Current Service" , MTA.info
On December 19, 2012, the MTA voted for the following fare increases: Base fare and single-ride ticket increased by 25 cents, to $2.50. 7-Day Unlimited MetroCard fare increased by $1, to $30. 30-Day Unlimited MetroCard fare increased by $8, to $112. The bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard decreased from 7% to 5% but the cutoff for the bonus decreased from $10 to $5.
Starting February 20, 2013, people were able to refill cards with both time and value, so that when a MetroCard is filled with both an unlimited card and fare value, the unlimited ride portion is used first where applicable. If not started already, the unlimited ride period would begin when the card is next used, and when the unlimited period expires, the regular fare would be charged. On March 3, 2013, a $1 fee was imposed on new card purchases in-system in order to reduce the number of discarded MetroCards. However, MetroCards purchased through the Extended Sales retail network carry no new card fee.
On March 22, 2015, the MTA voted for the following fare increases: Base Fare increased by 25 cents, to $2.75; Express Bus fare increased, to $6.50; 7-Day Unlimited fare increased by $1, to $31; 7-Day Express Bus Plus fare increased by $7.25, to $57.25; 30-Day Unlimited increased by $4.50, to $116.50; Single Ride ticket increased by 50 cents, to $3.00; and: the bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard was increased to 11%.
On March 19, 2017, the following fare increases went into place: 7-Day Unlimited fare increased by $1, to $32; 7-Day Express Bus Plus fare increased by $2.25, to $59.50; 30-Day Unlimited increased by $4.50, to $121; and the bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard was reduced from 11% to 5%.
On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by OMNY, a contactless fare payment system also by Cubic, with fare payment being made using Apple Pay, Google Wallet, debit/credit cards with near-field communication enabled, or radio-frequency identification cards. All buses and subway stations would use the OMNY system by 2020. However, support of the MetroCard is slated to remain until 2023.
In mid-2018, city officials tentatively agreed to start a program in which they would provide half-fare MetroCards to almost 800,000 New York City residents living below the federal poverty line. The program would start in January 2019, and the New York City allocated $106 million in fiscal year 2019 to subsidize the half-fare MetroCards for at least six months. After uncertainty over whether the program would be implemented, the half-fare MetroCards were rolled out starting on January 4, 2019. Initially, the reduced-fare MetroCards would be rolled out to 30,000 residents, though another 130,000 New Yorkers receiving SNAP benefits would also be allowed to receive the half-fare MetroCards in April 2019. However, in the revised plan, only a portion of the originally projected 800,000 residents (around 20%) would be eligible for the reduced-fare cards.
On April 21, 2019, the following fare increases went into place: Express Bus fare increased by 25 cents, to $6.75;
7-Day Unlimited fare increased by $1, to $33; 7-Day Express Bus Plus fare increased by $2.50, to $62; 30-Day Unlimited fare increased by $6, to $127; and the bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard was eliminated.
In August 2023, the following fare increases went into place: Base Fare increased by 15 cents, to $2.90 Express Bus fare increased, to $7.00 7-Day Unlimited fare increased to $34 7-Day Express Bus Plus fare increased to $64.00 30-Day Unlimited fare increased to $132 Single Ride ticket increased by 25 cents, to $3.25
The MetroCard itself cost $1.
Retirement In 2006, the MTA and Port Authority announced plans to replace the magnetic strip with smart cards.