Tap and ride
The MTA launched contactless fare payments in 2019. The organization branded its contactless system “OMNY,” in a nod to its ambition to handle fare payment for all public transportation in the New York metro area.
By 2025, as the agency prepared to retire MetroCard and transition to an all-contactless system, the strategy had changed. While millions of New Yorkers had switched years in advance of the transition, many others were confused and distrustful of the OMNY brand, which had been tainted by a bumpy and COVID-slowed rollout. The decision was made to minimize OMNY and give contactless payments a new, simple branding based on the action and the result—Tap and ride. (I pitched the name.)
Our original layouts emphasized ease of use. People found contactless payments confusing and worried they would be more difficult or complicated than what they were used to. We hoped to associate the new “Tap and ride” with “easy.”
In the end, organizational priorities called for expanding the rebranding exercise into a full educational campaign. We were tasked with explaining concepts and benefits like fare capping, fare cards, and OMNY accounts concisely.
