The end of the MetroCard is somewhat near!

Near, of course, being a relative term in MTA speak. Anyway, as I mentioned in October, the MTA is looking to do away with the swipe-and-go MetroCard, a relic of the 20th Century. But instead of just adopting RFID smartcard technology as London and Washington, D.C., currently employ, the agency is, according to the New York Post, “seeking bids on ‘a study of existing and new technologies and [recommendations for] a new/fare toll payment system.'”

So the MTA is going to ask to study existing technologies before figure out the best one. Then the MTA will have to figure out how to overhaul the rather inflexible current system. At that rate, we should see new fare card technology some time before the polar ice caps melt.