The entire fare payment system at a Brooklyn subway station was smashed to smithereens in a brazen act of vandalism that transit officials said will thousands of dollars to fix.
The vandals struck Wednesday at the Clinton-Washington station on the C line in Clinton Hill, smashing the OMNY readers on the turnstiles, a MetroCard vending machine, and digital information and advertising screens.
Straphanger Margaret Wenig said she saw the damage as she exited the station Wednesday afternoon right after the vandals hit. A pair of cops were on scene and a transit worker swept up the mess.
Vandals smashed OMNY readers, a MetroCard vending machine and glass digital screens at the Clinton-Washington station on the C line Wednesday in an act of vandalism MTA officials said will cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. (Margaret Wenig)
“It was disturbing and disturbing to imagine what kind of state of mind the person was in who did this,” said Wenig. “I was scared, upset. Needless to say people who needed to buy a MetroCard or swipe a MetroCard would be sorely inconvenienced.”
MTA spokesman Dave Steckel said the vandals caused “tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary cost to taxpayers.”
“It’s a major inconvenience to New Yorkers who are forced to wait longer to enter the transit system,” Steckel said.
Vandals smashed OMNY readers, a MetroCard vending machine and glass digital screens at the Clinton-Washington station on the C line Wednesday in an act of vandalism MTA officials said will cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. (Margaret Wenig)
It was a big hiccup in a bad week for the tap-to-pay OMNY system, which will be the only fare payment system for the city’s subways and buses after the MTA retires the MetroCard in late 2023.
On Monday, thousands of riders saw their credit cards erroneously declined as they tried to tap into the subway system. MTA officials said it was a software issue caused by the agency’s vendor, Cubic, which also runs similar tap-and-pay systems in other transit systems — including the London Underground’s Oyster card and the Chicago Transit Authority’s Ventra card.
MTA officials said that glitch affected one-half of 1 percent of the subway’s 3 million riders on Monday, and was fixed by Tuesday morning.
MTA chairman Janno Lieber has also stalled the launch of all-door boarding on the agency’s buses. Riders must currently board through the front doors on local bus routes, despite the agency having installed OMNY readers near the rear doors on every bus.
Vandals smashed OMNY readers, a MetroCard vending machine and glass digital screens at the Clinton-Washington station on the C line Wednesday in an act of vandalism MTA officials said will cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. (Margaret Wenig)
Transit advocates have for years pushed the MTA to let riders board and pay from either door to speed up service — but transit officials fear that will increase the rate of fare evasion, and earlier this month sent a memo to bus drivers telling them to not automatically open the rear doors at stops.
Lieber during a news conference Wednesday said only 15% of bus riders use OMNY, and that he doesn’t plan to let riders board from the rear until all riders can use the tap-and-pay system.
“It wouldn’t be fair to open the door and limit it to people who are only paying with OMNY,” Lieber said.
Copyright © 2021, New York Daily News
Copyright © 2021, New York Daily News