New York City’s public transportation system is one of the best, but it can be expensive, especially for regular commuters. Commuters across New York are thrilled with the new OMNY weekly fare cap! This new fare cap went into effect earlier this year and makes it easier and more equitable for New Yorkers to pay their fares, by capping the amount you spend on fares in a week at $33. That means that no matter how often you ride or how far you go, your weekly fare will never be more than $33!
This is a big win for New York City’s working families and commuters, who now have one less expense to worry about. And it’s good for employers too: with the new weekly fare cap, businesses can be confident that their employees are getting to work on time and without breaking the bank.
How Does It Work?
The weekly fare cap with OMNY is simple: just tap your card or phone when you enter a station or board a bus, and tap again when you exit. The system will automatically keep track of your fares and cap them at 12 rides or $33 for the week (12 a.m. Monday – 11:59 p.m. Sunday). No need to buy a 7-Day Unlimited pass ahead of time. You simply pay for the trips you take. This means the more you ride, the sooner you’ll earn free trips! You can check your balance anytime by tapping your card or phone on an OMNY reader or logging into your account online.
Tap your Contactless Card or Smart Device
It is not all that surprising that contactless payments are quickly becoming the preferred payment method. Going contactless allows individuals to hold their device or contactless card close to the payment terminal without ever having to touch it or even sign for transactions.
Tap your contactless credit, debit, or reloadable prepaid card at an OMNY reader and be on your way. No need to do anything in advance. Participants with a Beniversal®/eTRAC® Prepaid Mastercard® can take advantage of contactless payments by adding the Beniversal Card to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay.
There are a few things to keep in mind:
- The weekly fare cap applies to fares paid with a contactless credit or debit card, smart device, or OMNY card only; it does not apply to cash fares.
- If you have an unlimited MetroCard ride, your fares will still be capped at $33 per week—but those unlimited rides will come in handy when taking longer trips!
- If you transfer from one subway line to another within two hours, your second fare won’t be charged as long as you use the same OMNY card or phone. That means you can ride around all day without worrying about racking up extra charges.
- If you’re using an out-of-system transfer (for example, transferring from the subway to a bus that doesn’t accept OMNY), your first ride of the day will be free—but remember, your second ride of the day will still be subject to the $33 weekly fare cap.
- The $33 weekly fare cap only applies to MTA businesses; if you’re using another transit system (like NJ Transit), those fares are not included in the weekly cap.
- Finally, remember that riders under 11 years old always ride for free—no matter how often they ride or how far they go!
Start Commuting!
This new fare cap makes it easier and more equitable for New Yorkers to pay their fares. Most commuters take an average of 2-3 rides per day, 5 days per week; this means the weekly fare cap will save most people around $8.25 per week on commuting costs. These significant savings can make a big difference in your budget. If you’re not already using OMNY and BRI’s Beniversal Card to pay your fares, we encourage you to try it and take advantage of this new feature!
