New Yorkers will soon be able to pay for travel on the subway using an NFC device or contactless card following governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature proposal to redesign and renew 30 stations across the system. The plans include introducing mobile ticketing systems that will let commuters purchase tickets on their mobile device.

“The governor’s proposal accelerates the process of bringing mobile payment methods to subways and buses, allowing riders to pay their fares by waving a cellphone, a bank card or another payment device over contactless readers,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) says.

“This will modernize the payment process, so customers can board buses and pass through turnstiles more quickly as well as manage the value in their accounts online instead of on physical cards that can be lost or damaged. Subways and buses will start using contactless payment methods in 2018.”

“The MTA will begin offering mobile ticketing on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad within six months and fully introduce it by the end of the year, giving railroad customers the same ability to buy tickets on their mobile devices,” the transport agency adds.

“Railroad customers who also ride subways and buses will be able to pay their fares using a single app and a single transit account starting the following year.”

Thinking big

“The MTA is absolutely vital to the daily functioning of New York City, but for too long it has failed to meet the region’s growing size and strength,” says Cuomo. “This is about doing more than just repair and maintain — this is thinking bigger and better. We are modernising the MTA like never before and improving it for years to come.”

“The MTA is committed to meeting Governor Cuomo’s challenge head-on, eliminating every possible inefficiency to deliver these improvements faster, better and at a lower cost,” adds MTA chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast.

“We’ll accomplish this by incorporating the governor’s suggestions to use alternative delivery methods such as design-build, leveraging private sector expertise through public-private partnerships and streamlining our procurement processes to ensure the entire MTA is focused on delivering improvements.”

MTA revealed it was in discussions to replace its MetroCard payment system with an NFC mobile payments and contactless service in January 2015.

Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions