After news that MetroCards will soon be phased out and old subway cars are being replaced by new R211 cars, it didn’t come as that much of a surprise when the MTA announced in December of last year that the subway’s glass ticket booths will soon be a thing of the past, replaced with new customer service centers.
And now we have a first look at what those outdated token booths will soon look like!
Earlier this week, the MTA unveiled photos of what the system’s token booths will soon look like, and we can’t deny that we’re loving the sleek new look.
The new “customer service centers,” which will either take the place of old station booths or occupy newly built spaces, will be the go-to spot for commuters’ needs, whether they’re looking for help with switching to OMNY, applying for the Reduced Fare program, or just need general help with navigating NYC’s subway system.
The new centers will feature enhanced accessibility equipped with OMNY technology, kiosks that make it possible to access MTA websites, digital monitors displaying service status updates, and a “more welcoming visual presentation for customers through new lighting, branded wrapping, and canopies,” reads a press release.
Ridding the subways of the old token booths will give token agents the chance to interact more directly with New Yorkers, as workers will shift from working solely in these outdated booths to providing subway riders with assistance throughout the entire station.
Agents stationed at each center will receive dedicated training on OMNY equipment as well as customer service functions, and each center will be staffed by agents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The first-ever customer service centers in the subway system opened this past Tuesday, February 7, at the Coney Island-Stillwell Ave station, the Atlantic Av-Barclays Center station, and at 161 St-Yankee Stadium.
Twelve additional centers will be opening over the course of this year in all five boroughs at the following stations:
- St. George (SIR)
- 34 St–Penn Station (1,2,3)
- Flushing–Main St (7)
- Fulton St (2,3,4,5,A,C,J,Z)
- Myrtle–Wyckoff Ave
- 74 St–Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave (7,E,F,M,R)
- E 180 St (2,5)
- 125 St (4,5,6)
- Fordham Rd (4)
- Times Square–42 St (1,2,3,7,N,Q,R,W,S)
- Sutphin Blvd–Archer Av–JFK Airport (E,J,Z)
- 168 St (1,A,C)