Page 2: Security gaps, rebudgeting and two service providers

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Why OMNY (almost) failed

Now you could say that OMNY has not failed at all, as the system is still in use. However, it is currently running on crutches. Originally, LIRR and Metro-North were also supposed to receive the new system in order to finally create a standardized system for MTA services. But that didn't work out. An app for OMNY has been promised for five years, but has turned out to be a joke. You need the website to manage your OMNY card (which requires you to enter an 18-digit card number plus a security code).

What's more, it is not possible to view your charging history or the journeys you have already made (trip history). This makes it impossible for people who have to submit a travel expense report to use the system - unless they use individual prepaid top-ups for which an invoice is sent by e-mail. When using Contactless with a credit card - which is supposed to be so convenient - it also becomes a drama as you can't track what you've actually paid for. You have to write down every journey and then check whether something has been charged incorrectly. Complaints can only be made by phone or via the AI chat assistant - although the latter is, as expected, not very helpful.

The reason for the lack of charging history, including trip history, is that journalists discovered a year ago that it was comparatively easy to read other users' data. It was enough to know the person's credit card number to retrieve information on where people had traveled. "The point of the feature was to help our customers who wanted to check their tap-and-go trip history, whether paid or free, without having to create an OMNY account," the MTA said.

After publication, the transport authority reacted promptly and simply switched off the functions in the same month. As befits a transportation authority that is notorious among old New Yorkers for being bureaucratic, there has been no further development since then: the website still simply states that it is "reviewing" "new tools for our customers". Strangely enough, even people with an OMNY account can no longer access their travel data, although this is not a problem in terms of data protection.

One app as hope, while another app never comes

It is unclear what will happen with OMNY. According to media reports, the MTA was planning to switch to the aforementioned TrainTime app, which is used by LIRR and Metro-North. Only the MTA knows exactly how this will work, as TrainTime works with QR codes as mentioned and not with NFC like OMNY. It is possible that the app will then be expanded accordingly, as we know it from other world cities such as Paris, where the wallet integrated in the smartphone with NFC function then becomes a ticket. As mentioned, the MTA had actually promised to implement a smartphone app for OMNY, but this never happened- even half a decade after its launch. "It's the Duke Nukem of public transit apps," someone joked on Reddit.

In May, the MTA then announced "upcoming OMNY milestones for 2024". Reduced OMNY cards for senior citizens would soon be released, as well as OMNY tickets for schoolchildren for the first time. There will also be new ticket machines at LIRR and Metro North stations. However, these are not planned for OMNY; instead, the TrainTime system will continue to be used. To make matters worse, TrainTime and OMNY use two different service providers. Cubic, the company behind OMNY, wurden recently withdrew orders because it is hoped that the TrainTime provider Masabi could be faster here.

MTA boss Janno Lieber said the new approach would finally give passengers the "sense of interoperability they expect". Unfortunately, feelings are not facts. And so public transport users in America's largest metropolis will continue to interact with a ticketing system that has still not been fully digitized. No one is currently giving a timetable for the completion of the project. After all, it is a "megaproject", as the MTA writes.

(bsc)