COVID-19 delays Apple Pay rollout on New York metro
What you need to know
- The full rollout of Apple Pay has been delayed on the New York metro.
- COVID-19 has delayed the completion of a new fare payment system.
- OMNY will be rolled out two months behind schedule, likely at the end of the year.
A new fare payment system on New York's metro system that would have brought full Apple Pay support has been delayed.
As reported by WSJ:
The new OMNY system will bring a full rollout of fare payment through contactless credit or debit cards, smartphones and smartwatches including Apple Pay, According to the lead of the OMNY project Steve Brunner, work on the system was halted in March due to concerns that workers might become infected with COVID-19.
The system was due to be finished by October, so a delay of two months will take it right to the end of the year, with support for 7 and 30-day passes coming next year.
The system is however making its way to MTA busses in Manhattan by "the end of July", and citywide by the end of the year.
The rollout of some OMNY contactless units at the start of the year caused a stir following reports that users were being charged accidentally through Apple Pay as well as through their card, effectively paying twice for one journey.
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9