Beginning Of The End Almost Here For NYC's MetroCard

NEW YORK — The MetroCard's reign is coming to an end. The MTA plans to start testing a brand-new fare payment system — with a new name — in May.

The transit agency has dubbed its new system "OMNY," an acronym for "One Metro New York." The name is derived from the Latin prefix "omni," meaning "all" or "of all things," the MTA says.

" We believe that transportation is an essential service that connects communities and brings the diversity and energy of New York together," the transit agency says. "OMNY is the newest way to experience all that the region offers."

The new system will let straphangers pay for a ride by tapping a cellphone or a contactless card rather than swiping the flimsy and often fickle MetroCards. Transit systems in other big cities such as London, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles already use similar technology.

The OMNY system will go through final testing starting in March before it's unleashed for straphangers starting in May, the MTA says. That's when riders will be able to pay with a tap on the 4, 5 and 6 lines between Grand Central Terminal and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center, and on Staten Island buses, according to the transit agency.

The system will only accommodate pay-per-ride fares at first, the MTA says, but other options such as "time-based" passes will be included the coming months.

Straphangers will be able to use their regular old MetroCards until OMNY "supports all the options available to you today," the MTA says. The iconic cards are expected to be gone by 2023.

Some riders have already spotted new turnstile panels that OMNY will use. But the new name has drawn skeptical reactions. One Twitter user suggested that it actually stands for "Our Management Neglects You."