Another piece of NYC history is about to be stripped away. The MTA has announced that the subway newsstands will soon become vending machines.
According to a report by the Daily News, the new vending machine “newsstands” will resemble ones found at airports, with all the snacks and to-go items only a click away. No human interaction necessary. The MTA is making this change away from human-run stands to hopefully save a bit of money. They also note that straphangers no longer purchase candy and newspapers, so roughly 40-percent of the 326 spaces are already empty.
In an interview with the paper, MTA’s Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber said that there are currently 86 spaces up for rent, many of which will likely become these convenient vending machines. The timeline for these machine installations has not yet been released, nor has the locations of where to expect them.
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