Roosevelt Island Tram Should Drop MetroCards, Local Leaders Say

ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NY — A new fare-payment system has swept the city's transit systems in recent years — but the Roosevelt Island tramway hasn't caught on.

The aerial conveyance is the only remaining transit option in New York that has not yet adopted the OMNY payment system, forcing passengers to rely exclusively on MetroCards. That deprives the tramway's thousands of daily riders from taking advantage of OMNY's benefits, like the upcoming weekly fare cap and free transfers from previous OMNY taps.

In a letter sent Thursday to the Roosevelt Island Operating Commission — the state entity that controls the island — a group of local officials bemoaned the slow adoption, which has no apparent timeline despite the MTA's stated goal of phasing out MetroCards entirely by 2023.

"For many of the thousands of people who rely on the Roosevelt Island Tram every day, RIOC’s failure to upgrade the Tram’s payment system in tandem with the MTA is causing frustration and inconvenience," reads the letter by City Councilmember Julie Menin, co-signed by State Sen. Jose M. Serrano and Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright.

But the RIOC says the officials' anger is misplaced, arguing that the MTA is responsible for the sluggish rollout.

"We welcome and support the advocacy, although somewhat misplaced, as we have implored the MTA and their integration partners to ensure Tram riders have access to the same benefits enjoyed on other forms of New York City public transportation," RIOC President and CEO Shelton J. Haynes said in a statement responding to Thursday's letter.

Besides inconveniencing commuters, not using OMNY is also depriving the RIOC of revenue: due to an old agreement with the MTA that didn't account for fare increases, the island gets just $2 per MetroCard swipe, according to the officials.

Haynes said his organization is "aware of the fare disparity," and that RIOC's financial officer has been "actively working to engage the MTA on renegotiating the fees in an effort to close this gap."