New York City is tough. Made. Here are two more facts about life in New York: I never carry multiple items in my hand and I always juggle my smartphone. That's why I'm ready to say goodbye to picking up my yellow MetroCard every time I ride the subway or bus and to receive New York's contactless payment system. I'm so prepared for the change that I camped out at Grand Central Station, like it was a launch at the old Apple, to be the first to use the OMNY (One Metro New York) contactless payment system, now released to the public. aujourd & # 39; I fled. Using an iPhone XR and Apple Watch 4 to get through the Grand Central turnstile, I found it as transparent as ever to New Yorkers. Here are some facts we discovered during our first contactless trip to New York.
It is incredibly easy to use
It was difficult to take a picture of OMNY's contactless payment process in action for this article simply because it has happened so far. But that's the goal, right? We didn't have to open our iPhone or authenticate with Face ID to pay. Just holding the back of the phone in front of the newly installed turnstile gave us the green light to begin our journey underground. What worries me the most about this process is that people don't need to pick up their MetroCard while we all usually have a phone in hand. I see people rummaging through their purses and skinny jean pockets with their one free hand (no phone), looking for the skinny card. OMNY is less juggling for those of us who see New York every day. Bonus points: we no longer need to needlessly print plastic MetroCards.But it wasn't a late surprise either.
We were able to demonstrate the MTA's OMNY (One Metro New York) system at the exact moment it went public. Of course, I was a bit late. Its noon launch actually took place at 12:19 p.m. ET and slowly spread to all of the Grand Central turnstiles. We ran over to the first one that turned on to try it out. Sooner or later, seeing OMNY run smoothly once the online system was impressive. The MTA workers responsible for overseeing the project were visibly excited (they even cheered me on as I went through the turnstile—again, like an Apple product launch). London, Chicago and other cities have already installed contactless systems like this (and have done so for years). New York, therefore, is also late. As we have said, the largest transit system in the United States has been waiting for a long time.Using an iPhone, it's good, use an Apple Watch, it's better
Paying with an iPhone through Apple Pay has worked well. We haven't tried using Android yet, but we'll be back on the next trip. We know that it works with Google Pay in the same way.
The Apple Watch is even easier when you have objects in your hand (Image credit: TechRadar) That said, I could see myself using the Apple Watch more regularly when I was carrying something else with two hands or when I was carrying a suitcase with my phone in it. pocket. I found that you had to double-press the side button on the watch to access Apple Pay for it to work, which differs from the iPhone, which doesn't require any prompts. Hopefully that will change eventually, perhaps with watchOS 6.
New Yorkers Are Too Clumsy To Use... Incorrectly
All week, I've seen New Yorkers pressing their yellow plastic MetroCards against the NFC player's screen... to no effect. They wanted it to work now. They were even more confused when the screen went from "Testing Phase" to "Card Only" with a yellow background in the last 48 hours. To them, it means "tap your yellow MetroCard here." It really meant: "Keep sliding." Now these two pre-launch messages are gone and MTA employees have distributed OMNY explanatory brochures to people. But now that things are working, everyone seems to know what to do.Officially on trains 4-5-6, he secretly works elsewhere.
Here's something that hasn't been announced, but we found out today: It works on more subway lines than the MTA has announced, if the 4-5-6 goes through the same station.
The 7-train entrance into Grand Central also works with OMNY (Image credit: TechRadar) Officially, it works on the 4-5-6 subway between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Staten Island buses. For our second test, we used it on the 7 train at Grand Central (even the 7 train reserved admission worked perfectly for us). In other words, even if you don't use the 4-5-6 subway, you may be able to use your iPhone or Android to pay for your ride on the subway at a nearby track. The OMNY rollout is much larger than expected.
But it is especially for tourists and unique runners today.
Today marks the beginning of the end for the MetroCard, but local New Yorkers who commute can't use it often because discount fares don't apply. It is intended for individual full rates: €2.75. Travelers will not be able to add additional time (weeks or months) in 2019, and multiple claimants for travel discounts will find no small savings. Similarly, disabled passengers will need to remain on the MetroCard, according to the MTA. Discounted rides through OMNY date back to 2020, paralleling the more widespread rollout of the system.