New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on December 5th that the subway ridership in New York City has hit a new high post-pandemic, with a daily passenger flow exceeding 4.6 million people, while the on-time arrival rate for November also set a new record. Additionally, 94% of fares for subways and buses have been processed through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) newly introduced contactless payment system, “OMNY,” replacing the old yellow Metro Cards.
Hochul stated that the subway passenger flow on December 3rd and 4th were 4.61 million and 4.63 million respectively, both surpassing the record of 4.6 million set on October 29, 2025, showing a 6% increase compared to the same period last year.
In terms of ticketing systems, MTA announced that it will stop selling the old Metro Cards on December 31, 2025, and will complete the full transition to the “tap and go” (OMNY) system by 2026.
To assist passengers in a smooth transition, MTA will establish 15 customer service centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens by the end of this year. (Locations can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2evvdk8v) The first 400 customers who visit these new customer service centers and transfer their remaining subway card balance to OMNY will receive an OMNY card with no processing fees.
Currently, there are over 2,700 retail locations for OMNY cards, more than twice the number of sales points for the old Metro Cards. Additionally, 980 OMNY card vending and reloading machines have been deployed in 472 stations citywide. MTA stated that by phasing out the old cards, they will save over $20 million in costs annually, with the funds being used for fare discounts, operational improvements, and enhancing passenger experience.