Although the student OMNY cards make it easier to get to and from school, they have one major flaw. The cards, which are made of paper, are fragile and can stop working whenever they get wet or bent. So students who rely on the cards for transportation often have to ask for replacements.
As of October, about 100 students have already asked for replacement cards, said Belizza Delacruz, the school’s pupil accountant secretary who distributes the cards. “The three main excuses are they lost it, they accidentally left it in their pants and it got washed or it’s not working,” she said.
“I absolutely think they should change it back to how it was before, a thicker plastic, but I’m not sure how they could do that because the student OMNY card has a circuit for the touch feature,’’ she said. “I would love for them to try and make it a thicker material.”
Jaroly Guzman, a sophomore, says that the current student OMNY card is an easier material to break. She needs a new card but says she hasn’t yet asked for one. She thinks that switching from the paper card to a virtual card would be nice, because she doesn’t know where her card is and if it’s on her phone she can just tap.
“I think the material should be a harder one, not paper but like metal, because my OMNY card is peeling off,” she said.
Jahill Campbell, a 10th grader, recently had to get a new card, because his first one got wet from the rain. Jahill thinks that switching the paper card to a virtual one would be so much easier to use.
“Yeah, I think they should definitely make it metal because the original material is flimsy,” he said.
Although people can purchase OMNY cards for use on phones, that option isn’t yet available to students, who receive their cards free through their schools. The cards, which are valid for a year, are good for four free rides each day, including weekends and holidays.
Jhon Matos, a junior, has had to get a replacement card once. He thinks metal would be a good material for the cards but has doubts about a virtual option because not everyone has a cell phone.
“I think not, because it’s easier to just tap and go.”
