New York Considering Future Payment Options for Transit Fare: NYT

Commuters in New York City may still use magnetic-stripe MetroCards to pay fares for five years to come, but transportation officials say they are considering some more modern options.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will accept payments through contactless chip-enabled phones in the future, Micheal DeVitto, a New York City transit official, told The New York Times.

In addition to accepting smartphone payments, DeVitto indicated the authority will accept smart cards, including those it issues.  Currently, New York commuters use the mag-stripe MetroCard, which has been in place since 1993.

The MTA previously tested a system with MasterCard that allowed riders to pay subway fare with a contactless open-loop credit or debit card. It also tested contactless transit cards.

These earlier tests failed in part because banks did not issue enough contactless payment cards to make them a viable alternative to the MTA's own MetroCard, the Times reported last year.