NYC straphangers have tapped into subways via OMNY 1 billion times

The MTA commemorated the milestone with a news conference at a Queens subway station.

The MTA announced on Wednesday that customers have tapped into the system using the OMNY fare payment system more than 1 billion times.

The agency commemorated the exact moment the milestone was reached on Wednesday morning with a news conference at the 74th Street-Broadway station in Jackson Heights, Queens. Health worker Candida Alfonso was honored as the billionth tapper at the station, where she usually catches the 7 train.

“I’ve been using my OMNY card since 2020,” Alfonso said in Spanish. “I’m an essential worker taking care of sick patients in their homes for the last 10 years, and I’ve used the OMNY card during the pandemic to not touch the machines.”

The MTA first announced the completion of the OMNY rollout to all stations at the end of 2020. Customers have used OMNY to tap into all 472 subway stations, as well as 204 local and 31 express bus routes, according to the MTA.

The agency previously planned to phase out MetroCards by the end of 2023, but pushed that timeline back last year. In April, the MTA announced new OMNY vending machines would be rolled out this summer, but officials did not give an updated timeline for the MetroCard phase-out. At the time, MTA Chair Janno Lieber said the project was “having some challenges.”

According to the MTA, nearly half of all subway riders are using OMNY to enter the system, with 2 million riders tapping in daily.