""The transit agency plans to stop accepting coins on its buses at some point next year as it retires the MetroCard and moves over to the digital tap-to-pay OMNY system. It marks the end of an era: As long as there have been public buses in New York City, riders could pay to ride them with coins or tokens. But as the city and the country head toward a cashless society, some of the copper-rich are being left behind.""
""My concern about the machines is that senior citizens probably save coins because we're so strapped for money," said 81-year-old JoAnn Giaquinto, who was waiting patiently for the M55 bus at the intersection of West Houston Street and Sixth Avenue. "They use their coins when they get on the bus." It's the MTA's latest move away from physical money.""
The MTA will stop accepting coins on New York City buses next year as it phases out the MetroCard and adopts the OMNY tap-to-pay system. Riders must use credit cards, smartphones, or OMNY cards that can be loaded with cash at subway vending machines or at about 2,700 retail partner stores. The shift leaves some cash-reliant riders, including seniors and unbanked people, at risk of reduced access. The agency previously reduced cash handling after COVID-era changes to token booth operations. At the current $2.90 fare, paying in coins requires 11 quarters, a nickel and a dime.
Read at Gothamist
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