The phase out of the old vinyl swipe cards comes after the MTA's rollout of its tap-to-pay fare system faced years of delays.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Recently, the New York City Department of Social Services announced that the Fair Fares program would begin using the MTA’s OMNY fare payment system. This program, which offers eligible New Yorkers a 50% discount on subway, bus and para-transit fares, will soon switch from MetroCards to tap-to-pay OMNY cards.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority will stop selling and refilling those formerly-ubiquitous MetroCards by the end of the year in favor of the OMNY system, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber told Crain’s New York Business Wednesday.