NYC Students Transition to OMNY Cards for the 2024-2025 School Year

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and New York City Public Schools Chancellor David A. Banks announced on July 25 that New York City students will receive One Metro New York (OMNY) cards for the upcoming school year. This new initiative will replace the traditional MetroCards with OMNY cards and bring a host of benefits that will make students’ daily commutes easier and more affordable.

The OMNY system, a modern touch-and-go fare payment method, is being used more frequently across the city’s public transportation network. Unlike MetroCards, which need to be reloaded through other payment methods and must be swiped, OMNY cards allow users to tap a contactless card or a contactless-enabled device at turnstiles.

The new student OMNY cards will remove some of the restrictions of the old student MetroCards. With student MetroCards, students only got three rides a day between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. The OMNY cards provide four free rides a day, and students will be able to tap 24/7, on weekends, and in the summer. 

With four daily rides, students won’t have to worry as much about exceeding the ride limit while commuting to and from after school activities. “Sometimes I would go to school and then go to track practice and then go to the library, and then it would be a fourth ride to go home from there. That happens maybe once every couple of weeks,” senior and Stuyvesant Transit and Urbanism President Seth Huse said.

The OMNY cards will allow students to save money traveling to activities outside of school on weekends and in the summer. “I feel especially excited for Stuyvesant students to receive their OMNY cards because you all are involved in so much outside of the school building, whether it’s PSAL, internships, volunteer work, tutoring jobs, and so much more, that having the option of four trips a day on the OMNY card will be so helpful for you,” Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services and Counseling Casey Pedrick said in an email interview. 

Since the OMNY card is available for use without time restraints, students are able to stay at school later without worrying about spending additional money for their ride home. “When a club runs late or a SING! rehearsal is long the week before the performances, students will no longer be ‘timed out’ of using their Student MetroCard—they can tap the student OMNY card at a late hour and still access transportation,” said Pedrick. 

Additionally, the tap-and-go payment system of OMNY cards would erase some frustration students may feel with malfunctioning turnstiles when swiping their MetroCard. “Tap-to-ride with student OMNY cards is far more hassle-free than student MetroCards if you haven’t mastered the swipe or are in a hurry,” senior Muhib Muhib said. 

In the case the OMNY card is lost or damaged, it would go through the same process of replacement as the MetroCards. “I beg Stuyvesant students to please find a reliable spot to place your Student OMNY card […] When a student needs a replacement, a staff member has to cancel their old card, issue a new card, log that card into a DoE system—linking the respective card to the student—and hand off the new card to the student. That process can lead to a student waiting a day or two for their replacement,” Pedrick said.  

As for distribution of the cards, the new OMNY cards would be distributed as soon as school begins. “The Student OMNY cards will be distributed to students on the first day of the school year, in a school-wide homeroom, same as we have done with the MetroCard distributions of the past,” Pedrick said. When students receive their OMNY cards, they will already be activated and ready to use beginning on that first day of school. 

Alongside the new student OMNY cards, the MTA is providing new student discounts for NYC Ferries. The discount allows ferry riders to save $3.05 on each ferry ride. Although the discount is only valid on weekdays, it has no usage restrictions. “Your parents need to apply for a code in the student portal of NYCDOE or something. Once your parents apply for a code in the student portal of the DOE, that code will be valid for a year, and it will allow you to buy $1.45 tickets for NYC Ferries on weekdays,” Huse said.

However, no city-wide changes have been implemented for more expensive commutes. “OMNY in general has not been integrated with the [Long Island Railroad] or [Metro-North Railroad] yet. You still have to use [the] TrainTime [app] for that. And student OMNY cards don’t work on express buses. You have to use a MetroCard or OMNY using a contactless card or a fare card,” Muhib said. 

The introduction of OMNY cards represents a crucial step forward for New York City students and the transit system, offering them more flexibility, greater convenience, and accessibility to daily commutes. “The Student OMNY card can be used 24/7/365,” Pedrick said. “I am so pleased the city recognizes that these cards are not simply for getting to and from school but are your ticket to experiencing this great city.”