According to a survey conducted by the MTA, over 70% of subway riders believe the OMNY payment system, which is set to completely replace the old MetroCard, still has numerous problems. The MTA plans to stop selling the old MetroCard by the end of this year and transition fully to the OMNY system within the next year. However, the survey showed that 30% of respondents have encountered issues with double charges.
Conducted from early June to July this year, the survey included nearly 400 passengers using the OMNY system. The results indicated that 74% of respondents had problems with the payment system, with the most common complaint being that OMNY readers failed to accept payments, which 42% of the respondents reported experiencing. Payment functionality issues were also a significant area of concern, with 34% of respondents noticing that they were charged hours or even days after swiping their cards, impacting their eligibility for the “$34 free ride” threshold. Additionally, 30% reported being overcharged by the OMNY system.
Inefficient customer service was also highlighted as a major complaint. Only 22% of respondents had reached out to the MTA customer service after encountering issues, and among those, 68% had unresolved problems.

The OMNY system supports various payment methods, including physical cards, accounts within the official app, and external credit or mobile payment platforms. Users who paid with digital wallets reported encountering more issues, while physical card users reported problems below the average level. However, the cost of the OMNY physical card is $5, and its availability is limited, making it inconvenient to purchase.
According to user feedback, up to 76% of passengers hope that OMNY can be used across other public transportation systems beyond MTA's subways and buses, including Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Metro-North Railroad, NJ Transit, PATH, and New York Ferries. Furthermore, 64% of passengers want the OMNY system to include discount formats such as day passes, weekly passes, and monthly passes that were available with the MetroCard. Currently, OMNY offers only one discount option, which is a free ride after spending $34 within seven days. The PCAC also recommended that the MTA upgrade the OMNY website interface to enhance user experience by adding balance inquiries, discount expiration dates, and records of free transfers.