MetroCard Machines Will Be Cash Only Tonight

MURRAY HILL, NY — MetroCard machines will only accept cash for a six-hour window tonight, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.

Riders will only be able to pay in cash at MetroCard machines between midnight and 6 a.m. on Saturday while the machines undergo a system software update.

Due to a system software upgrade, MetroCard machines will accept cash only from 12:01AM to 6AM on Saturday, Feb. 10. Personnel will be on-hand in stations to assist customers without cash, if necessary, and anyone may call 511 or use a Help Point w/any questions. — NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) February 5, 2018

The MTA pivoted to a six-hour maintenance window after subway riders expressed outrage over a previous plan to make the machines cash-only for an entire weekend.

"After hearing clearly from our customers that they needed more information regarding this upgrade, we reassessed the entire process," Veronique Hakim, the MTA's managing director, said in a statement Monday. "We are aggressively communicating with customers about this upgrade to ensure that we avoid confusion, and limiting the disruption to only the very early morning hours Saturday."

The MTA also noted that it would be "phasing out" the MetroCard over the next few years when it announced the nighttime system update. The transportation agency has already begun testing a smartphone-based system for riders to enter the subway turnstile.

"Over the next few years, we're phasing out the MetroCard & introducing state of the art technology linked directly to smartphones & cards," the MTA said in a tweet. "Cash will always be an option."

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