A Special Exhibit Planned as the MTA’s MetroCard Nears its Final ‘FAREwell”

The quickly approaching end of 2025 also brings the news of the planned retirement of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) MetroCard. At the time of its launch in the late 20th century, the magnetic-stripe card “bridged the gap between tokens and technology,” according to reported comments by New York Transit Museum Acting Director Regina Shepard. The new OMNY (One Metro New York) card that began its public rollout in May 2019 “ushers in a new era of fare payment’ with its contact-less technology. While the full roll-out of OMNY may not be completed until the end of 2026, it has begun to offer some of the similar programs introduced through the MetroCard such as reduced fares for seniors and qualified people. Hosted by the New York Transit Museum at 99 Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, the exhibit will feature a historical exploration of MetroCard’s creation and adoption to the technology behind it, reminding “us how innovation, design, and human experience come together to shape the way we move through the city.” New York Transit Museum Curator Jodi Shapiro also pointed out that while most rider never realized the entire network of technology behind every MetroCard swipe, the “exhibition gives a taste of the gargantuan effort to change New Yorker’s minds about how to pay their transit fare.” Opened in 1976, the museum which is housed in a decommissioned subway station serves over 500,000 visitors each year offering the opportunity to view a collection of vintage train cars and buses, and well as participating in several educational programs and rotating exhibits offered throughout the year.

Source:    https://www.6sqft.com/say-farewell-to-the-metrocard-at-new-new-york-transit-museum-exhibit/