NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — It’s taking a lot longer for the MTA to install their tap-and-go OMNY fare system and costing them more too, officials said on Monday.
With OMNY, passengers only need to tap their phone or credit/debit card to pay for their transit fare. The MTA said initially, the project was supposed to cost $591 million last June but has since gone up to $772 million.
The rise in cost means installation of vending machines and single-ride OMNY tickets will not begin until September, eight months behind schedule, said MTA’s new fare payment systems director Amy Linden to board members.
Linden added the reasons for the delay are “contractor issues” and “COVID safety protocols” which have caused added stress to the contract.
“The original OMNY delivery schedule has been a challenge,” Linden said. “It was overly aggressive from the very beginning with no space to address unforeseen needs or circumstances, creating a high degree of risk to the delivery schedule.”
Adding to the trouble, Linden said the original schedule for OMNY was not fully developed until recently which has contributed to the delay as well as the cost.
Software bugs leading to “quality control issues” are also on the list of things to be sorted out and may end up increasing the price tag again, according to the MTA’s independent engineering consultant Joseph Devito.
With the schedule already delayed 15 months, MTA plans to wrap-up OMNY roll-out on subways and buses in the first quarter of 2024 and six months on Long Island Rail Road and Metro North.
Linden added that as of November, 23 percent of trips were paid for using the OMNY system.
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