Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed Apple Pay Express Transit being available throughout the entire New York subway system. The contactless One Metro New York (OMNY) platform was meant to be available across the entire network by October. This work is now expected to be complete by the end of 2020.
The installation of contactless readers that allow users to pay for transportation with a smartphone or contactless card was paused in March as part of an effort to stop workers from contracting COVID-19.
Apple Pay Express Transit is fully compatible with the OMNY system, albeit its present usage is limited. “Unless you have OMNY at both ends of your destination you’re not going to use OMNY,” commented Al Putre, an official leading the system’s rollout.