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The MTA is slowly moving closer to replacing the MetroCard by finally getting around to asking how exactly they should go about replacing the MetroCard.
A solicitation for a “New Fare Payment System” will soon be released looking for a company to “design, furnish, install, test, integrate and implement an account-based new fare payment and collection system based on open bank card payments industry standards that will utilize contactless media, including contactless smart cards and mobile devices.”
AKA you’ll be able to use your phone or a smart card to ride the subway. (London currently does something similar with their Oyster system.)
The agency will spend $419 million through 2019 on the new fare payment system according to its capital program. Which, uh... has yet to funded, but that's the plan! The system will begin to roll out in 2018, with a goal of completely replacing the MetroCard by 2020.
The MetroCard’s days are numbered. It’s a pretty high number, but still.
