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QUEENS WEEKLY, DECEMBER 22, 2019
Al Putre, MTA’s OMNY Program Executive, said the
two-year rollout of the program is now underway.
Photo by Mark Hallum
BY MARK HALLUM
The launch of the “One
Metro New York” (OMNY)
fare payment system will
be leaving the MetroCard
in its dust in the next two
years, as the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
rolled out more tap-and-go
screens at Penn Station on
Wednesday.
Now that OMNY has
been at 16 stations around
the city as part of the pilot
to iron out any kinks before
making a full commitment,
New York City Transit
President Andy Byford
said the agency is getting
into the “business end” of
$573 million rollout.
Byford said the OMNY
system modernizes the
fare payment system improvements,
bringing
them from far behind
other cities to well ahead
of the pack. Under OMNY,
no one will need a specific
card to get into the system;
riders can just tap their
smartphones or credit
cards to enter through
turnstiles.
“So far already, we
have recorded over $4 million
taps… that exceeds
our honest expectations,
people love OMNY, they
want OMNY, they’re taking
it up with relish,”
Byford said. “We’re now
making OMNY accessible
to a whole new market,
namely customers of
Long Island Rail Road,
customers of New Jersey
Transit and customers
of Amtrak.”
Among other banks,
the MTA has partnered
with Chase in order to
fund the program’s rollout
— something that Al Putre,
executive director of
the OMNY Fare Payment
Program, said is mainly
because the agency is always
in need of money.
Commuters benefit
from this partnership by
virtue of the MTA avoiding
the need to raise fares,
Putre said.
“This contract is completely
funded. These
partners are only giving
additional money and we
could always use money
so we take it,” Putre said.
“We don’t want have to
raise the fare and we don’t
like to get funding from
our customers. Every dollar
we can get from another
funding source allows
us to put that money
toward our expenses.”
Seven day or 30-day unlimited
pay options will be
available through the program
between late 2020
or February 2021 through
the OMNY app’s pay options,
according to Putre.
OMNY on the bus system
will make its first
appearance on the Select
Bus Service, Byford said.
OMNY panels will be installed
next to both doors
for all-door boarding.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4564.
Hundreds of undocumented immigrants line up outside the DMV in Whitestone to apply for a license.
License seekers rejoice
Whitestone DMV sees huge lines as Green Light Law is implemented
BY BILL PARRY
Hundreds of undocumented
immigrants lined
up outside the Department
of Motor Vehicles
office in Whitestone Monday
morning waiting for
their opportunity to apply
for a driver’s license
thanks to the so-called
Green Light Law, which
restores access to licenses
to all state residents, regardless
of immigration
status.
A s s emb l y woma n
Catalina Cruz, the first
“Dreamer” elected to the
state legislature, grew
emotional during a press
gathering Sunday at the
offices of Make the Road
New York in Jackson
Heights.
“I grew up undocumented
and I never
thought I would see the
day this would happen,”
Cruz said. “To finally give
a chance to families like
mine to not fear going out
every day to work to have
a chance at a real life because
while they try to destroy
us from Washington
we’re going to continue to
fight to protect our people
right here at home.”
The major victory was
led by community-based
organizations like Make
the Road New York, whose
volunteers knocked on
thousands of doors, collected
thousands of petitions,
held numerous
community forums, and
traveled multiple times
to lobby in Albany. The
Greenlight Law is expected
to impact more than
700,000 undocumented
immigrants who are now
eligible to apply.
“Our community stood
up for respect and dignity
for all, and we won,” Make
the Road New York Co-Executive
Director Javier H.
Valdés said. “Now all New
Yorker, regardless of immigration
status, will be
able to apply for driver’s
licenses, which will keep
our roads safer, stimulate
the economy, and keep
families together. This
historic victory means
that hundreds of thousands
of New Yorkers will
now be able to take their
kids to school and the doctor,
get to work efficiently,
and respond to emergencies
in their families.”
Outside the Queens
DMV, immigrants were
chanting “Si se pudo!”
(We did it) and “Licencias
para todos!” (Licenses for
all) as they awaited their
opportunity.
“What an incredible
feeling it will be to finally
have a license,” MRNY
member Fausto Jiminez
said. “This will mean I
can drive my family where
we want to go, with the
peace of mind that I won’t
be stopped and torn away
from the people I love.”
Experts have found
that the Greenlight Law
will bring substantial economic
benefits to the state
including $57 million in
annual revenue. New York
has joined twelve states,
plus Washington D.C. and
Puerto Rico, which have
similar policies in place.
“Today we are seeing
a massive response from
the immigrant community
that fought for years to
make the Greenlight Law
a reality,” MRNY Associate
Director of Organizing
Yaritza Mendez said. “As
we expected, we are seeing
thousands of community
members come forward
to apply for licenses
for the first time. People
are waiting in the cold because
Courtesy Make the Road NY
they know that having
a license will enable
them to drive their kids to
school, to the doctor and
get to work efficiently, especially
in places where
there isn’t access to public
transit.”
State Attorney General
Letitia James won two
lawsuits filed by upstate
county clerks, who tried
to block implementation
of the law.
“The Green Light Law
is legal and enforceable,
and two separate federal
courts have now already
dismissed the meritless
claims of two county
clerks,” James said. “The
law will help make our
roads safer, our economy
stronger, and will allow
immigrants to come out of
the shadows to sign up as
legal drivers in our state.
We expect all public officials
to comply with the
law, and, as the state’s attorney
and chief law enforcement
officer, I will
continue to vigorously
defend it.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
Tap-based payment system
slowly replaces MetroCards
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