大都会运输署（MTA）将在本周三停卖并以 OMNY 取代 MetroCard，这张蓝黄磁条卡自 1994 年启用、沿用逾三十年；更早之前地铁用可追溯到 1950 年代的代币，再往前曾收硬币，20 世纪初开通时票价从 1 枚 5 分（nickel）起。

MTA 表示感应式「一拍即付」已是约三分之二（约 66%）乘客的首选；MetroCard 也曾以 1998 年推出的周票、月票（固定费率不限次）改变通勤与转乘习惯并推升搭乘量。

数字面上，MTA 过去三十年推出超过 400 款限量纪念卡（含 2022 年致敬 Notorious B.I.G. 50 岁、2013 年桑迪飓风后的 I Love NY 等），2017 年与 Supreme 合作款更被转卖溢价；全面转向无接触系统后，MTA 预估每年至少省下 2,000 万美元，且这是延宕已久、总额 7.72 亿美元的 OMNY 计划的一部分；偏好实体与现金者可买 1 美元 OMNY 卡，MetroCard 将持续可用至 2026 年，余额可在到期后 2 年内转移或退费。

The MTA is retiring the MetroCard on Wednesday, switching fully to OMNY’s tap-and-go payments. MetroCard launched in 1994, replacing turnstiles that had long taken token-like fares dating to the 1950s; earlier still, the system accepted coins, starting at a 5-cent fare when the subway opened around the turn of the 20th century.

Agency leadership says tapping is already the payment choice for roughly two-thirds of riders (about 66%), signaling the transition is largely behavioral as much as technological. MetroCard also reshaped usage patterns in 1998 by introducing fixed-price unlimited weekly and monthly cards, which boosted ridership and made cross-borough transfers and extra trips easier.

Quantitatively, the MTA produced more than 400 limited-edition MetroCards over three decades, with some (notably a 2017 Supreme collaboration) becoming resale collectibles. Operationally, the shift is expected to save at least $20 million per year and is tied to the long-delayed $772 million OMNY program; riders who need a physical, cash-friendly option can buy a $1 OMNY card. MetroCards can still be used into 2026, and remaining balances can be transferred or reimbursed for up to two years after a card’s expiration.