NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The MTA may be looking at making a pandemic change permanent at subway station booths.
“We currently do not plan to resume cash transactions in the booths,” MTA chief safety officer Pat Warren said during a news conference Wednesday.
Hand-to-hand transactions were banned at subway booths in March 2020 during the start of the pandemic as transit officials feared workers would be put at risk of catching COVID-19.
According to Warren, OMNY — the MTA’s new tap-and-pay fare system will fully replace MetroCards by the end of 2023 and will no longer need workers in booths.
Booth workers also are not swapping customers' damaged or expired MetroCards and riders will have to mail in any damaged MetroCards to get replacements.
Riders will still be able to use cash to purchase MetroCards at vending machines in subway stations, but Robert Kelley with the Transport Workers Union Local 100 said those machines aren't always reliable.
"There is something seriously wrong there when the MetroCard machines don't work most of the time," Kelley said.
He also fears the change will lead to more fare evasion and police interactions.
"When people come down and go to the machines and the machines not working, where do you think they go? Back upstairs or do they go back through the gate?" Kelley said.
Plus he said it's an issue of fairness as both Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road agents have brought cash back.
Longterm, Kelley worries the MTA might be phasing out thejob of the station agent.
"Right now we're at a crossroads where it's we have more jobs than people and another department still hiring another department," he said.
MTA Acting Chief Communications Officer Tim Minton issued a follow-up statement Thursday saying, "To be clear, no decision has been made and no decision was announced yesterday regarding cash returning to station booths. The MTA continues to review logistics and other considerations associated with accepting cash payments at subway station booths post-pandemic."
Stay informed, stay connected — follow WCBS 880 on Facebook and Twitter. Listen live to WCBS 880 Newsradio.