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Many New York City students last week were caught off guard when they tried to use the OMNY cards they received last school year and found they no longer worked.
Now, families are scratching their heads, asking: When do the student OMNY cards issued last school year expire?
According to the Education Department’s website, it says: “Valid all year long. Your Student OMNY card doesn’t expire until the next school year.”
On the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s website, however, it says: “Valid September through August. One card for the entire school year, and the summer.”
Several students told Chalkbeat their cards stopped Aug. 31. (Other students said their cards had stopped working some weeks back, likely from the wear and tear of the thin cards.)
This is particularly a hardship for the many high school athletes who have started commuting to their team practices before Thursday’s first day of school. It adds a big expense for many families, and it also means that more teens might be hopping turnstiles and could get tangled up with law enforcement.
Students are expected to get new cards when they return to school later this week.
New York City families heralded the student OMNY cards when they were released during the 2024-25 school year. Officials at the time said the cards would provide four free rides a day, 365 days a year, at any time, a significant upgrade from the three daily rides during limited hours on school days.
And MTA officials confirmed this week that the cards are supposed to work year-round.
“Every year the MTA sends 1.5 million Student OMNY cards, which are valid 365 days a year, for schools across New York City,” MTA spokesperson Kalya Shults wrote in an email on Tuesday.
That would mean the cards should have at least worked until Sept. 4, a year from when school started last academic year. Shults did not respond to a follow up question about that timeline.
Education Department officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Chalkbeat called 311 on Tuesday to inquire about the student OMNY card expiration date and was told to reach out to the Education Department’s Office of Pupil Transportation’s hotline. The person answering the phone for OPT said the cards should expire on Thursday, when students returned to school, and acknowledged that they were getting calls about expired cards.
Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy atazimmer@chalkbeat.org.
