Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
The Future For Cash Transactions At Subway Booths Remains In Limbo
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 25, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 25, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This week, the MTA became embroiled in controversy when chief safety officer Pat Warren announced that the organization "currently [does] not plan to resume cash transactions in the booths." After those comments were published, the MTA faced immediate backlash from politicians, activists and union leaders. But an MTA official told Gothamist on Friday that Warren's comments have been misinterpreted, and there is currently no plan to permanently end cash transactions at booths.
But to be clear, there also are no plans to bring back cash transactions to station booths—the MTA stopped accepting cash at booths as of March 2020 for safety and health reasons related to the pandemic.
According to spokesperson Tim Minton, nothing has changed yet about the MTA's plans for the booths.
"What Pat Warren said is that there is currently no plan for a change, which is true," Minton told Gothamist/WNYC. "But there are thousands of ways customers can use cash to purchase MetroCards, including every single subway station where machines accept cash."
He noted there are also MetroCard Mobile Vans which travel around the city accepting cash (they also replace damaged cards), and there are various merchants and convenience stores in all five boroughs where MetroCards can also be purchased with no fee.
In response to the first reports about the booths, there was an immediate outcry that getting rid of cash transactions was an attack on low-income New Yorkers.
"This is unacceptable and will contribute to the criminalization of our most vulnerable neighbors," said Tiffany Cabán, who is currently leading in the primary race for the 22nd Council District. "Many low-income and poor New Yorkers don’t have bank accounts or access to electronic forms of payment."
"This decision is a crime against poor people, full stop," added State Senator Julia Salazar.
The phased rollout of the contactless OMNY fare payment system is set to be completed by 2023, which some activists say could lead to vastly reduced options for people wanting to use cash.
Liam Blank, a spokesperson for Tri-State Transportation Campaign, argues that relying solely on MetroCard machines for cash transactions is not enough. "The MTA says that cash will still be accepted at ticket vending machines, but these machines are constantly broken, so it’s important to have built-in redundancy," he said. "Vulnerable populations that rely on transit may also prefer to interact with a person who could provide more assistance than a machine."
Straphangers Campaign Director Jaqi Cohen added, "Instead of creating unnecessary barriers to entry, the MTA should make every effort to expand access to transit, including keeping hand-to-hand transactions available at subway stations and rolling out all-door boarding on buses, which will make paying the fare even easier.”
The MTA is currently dealing with persistent service delays due to a fallout from a hiring freeze that was imposed during the pandemic.
But Minton insists that nothing permanent has been decided about the booths yet.
"The bottom line is there's no change this week, or six months ago, or 10 months ago," Minton added. "We are giving good consideration to the future of cash transactions, what that would look like, and what the associated logistics are. When there's an announcement, we'll make it, but there wasn't one this week."
Tagged
we the commuters
MTA
omny
subway
fare
cashless payment
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
DOC negligence factored in death at Rikers' Bellevue hospital outpost, jail officials say
The oversight board’s report documents a deadly pattern of neglect at a facility meant to keep inmates safe.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 2:55 p.m. ET
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
The MTA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating how Yaw Boahene was fatally dragged by a subway train in Brooklyn on Monday.
By
Stephen Nessen
News
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
The MTA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating how Yaw Boahene was fatally dragged by a subway train in Brooklyn on Monday.
By
Stephen Nessen
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
By
Ryan Kost
Intoxication not a 'license' to rape: Hochul pushes to tighten law amid Cornell scandal
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC Parks police told a yoga teacher to leash her dog. It got ugly.
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .