By MOHAMED FARGHALY | mfarghaly@queensledger.com
New York City is replacing Student MetroCards with Student OMNY cards starting the 2024-2025 school year, offering students 24/7 access and up to four free rides per day on various transit modes.
New York City is replacing Student MetroCards with Student OMNY cards starting the 2024-2025 school year, offering students 24/7 access and up to four free rides per day on various transit modes.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber on July 25 announced updates that will make it easier and more affordable for eligible students to get to and from school and after-school activities via public transportation.
“I’m thrilled about the launch of student OMNY cards because expanding access to public transit means more and more students will have opportunities to explore our city and experience all that New York has to offer,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Banks. “I’m grateful to our partners at the MTA and across the city for making this possible for our students.”
Starting this upcoming 2024-2025 school year, students will receive Student OMNY cards, instead of the MetroCards that have been distributed citywide to students since 1997. The new Student OMNY cards will be valid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with up to four free rides a day. These changes will significantly expand flexibility for student travel, as students were previously limited to only three free rides each day from only 5:30 AM to 8:30 PM, and the cards could only be used on days when the student’s school was open for class.
“These expanded student OMNY cards are a gamechanger for families across New York City, particularly for working-class families that need just a little more help to afford our city — families where older siblings pick their younger brothers and sisters up from school, or where kids have after-school and summer jobs to help make ends meet,” said Mayor Adams. “This builds on the work we’ve done to make our city more accessible, particularly for young people and low-income New Yorkers. From our subways, to our ferries, to our greenways, we’re making it easier and more affordable to get around New York City.”
Student OMNY cards will be valid on the MTA’s subway lines; on local, limited, and Select buses; on the Staten Island Railway; on the Roosevelt Island Tram; and on Hudson Rail link; and will include free transfers from one mode to another. Students will also now keep the same card for the entire year, through the summer. The expanded benefits provide the foundation for New York City students to learn how to utilize the public transit system and build a culture of tapping.
“Across its diverse neighborhoods and communities, New York City inspires and teaches. Our city is one of the best classrooms in the world. And now, as part of the city’s broader switch to OMNY, New York’s kids have more and better access to it,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations and MTA Board Member Meera Joshi. “Together, the city and its world-class public transportation system are making New York City just a little more livable for the families that call it home. Our kids deserve 24/7 access to a 24/7 city, and now they’re getting it.”
The cards will be distributed to students at the start of the school year by each individual school across the five boroughs. In addition to the cards, students will also receive promotional flyers outlining the benefits of the enhanced program. The MTA and New York City Public Schools will work together to evaluate and promote card usage across school districts. More information about Student OMNY cards is available online.
This announcement builds on the Adams administration’s efforts to make getting around New York City more accessible and affordable, particularly for young people and low-income New Yorkers. In the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget, the administration partnered with the City Council to invest an additional $20.7 million in “Fair Fares NYC,” expanding eligibility for half-price fares to people making 145 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
“In this pivotal moment, New York City is not just updating a program but transforming the daily commutes of our students,” said New York State Senator Robert Jackson. “I applaud the collaboration of the mayor’s office, the Department of Education, and the MTA in enhancing access and ensuring no student is left behind. With the Student OMNY cards, every trip becomes a pathway to potential, embedding seamless travel into the fabric of our students’ academic experiences and broadening their horizons every day of the year.”
The budget also included $11 million to provide free MetroCards to Summer Youth Employment Program participants, who — thanks to the Adams administration’s efforts — are also eligible for free two-month Citi Bike memberships. In 2023, Mayor Adams launched a historic greenway expansion to build 40 new miles of protected bike infrastructure in the outer boroughs, bringing safer, greener transportation options to the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. In 2022, Mayor Adams unveiled NYC Ferry Forward, which created a discount program similar to Fair Fares in which seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income riders pay reduced fares for ferry rides.
“Since its founding, our Youth Council has been dedicated to expanding the number of hours during which students can use their MetroCards to commute to school, internships, sports and other school-related activities,” said New York State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein. “For far too many students, the status quo prevented the use of student MetroCards on nights and weekends, when many extracurriculars take place. In 2020, we ended the practice of charging half the fare for the 130,000 students living less than two miles from their schools making public transportation free for all students. Today’s announcement builds on that success by giving four taps per day, 24/7 for all students. This change in the student transportation policy is going to help hundreds of thousands of students and their families. I want to thank the MTA for making this happen and to our current and former Youth Council members: when you lead, you can make change in our world that helps millions of others.”
