MTA tests mobile ticketing in bid to phase out MetroCard

The MTA has launched a new payment pilot program that may see the MetroCard go the way of the subway token. The agency has installed barcode readers at two lower Manhattan stations, allowing some riders to enter the station using prepaid trips ID’d by a barcode on their smartphones. Right now, the barcode readers are installed at the Bowling Green and Wall Street stops near the MTA headquarters on Stone Street, which makes sense considering that the pilot program is only open to MTA employees at this time. The program is an extension of a mobile ticketing app used to ride the Long Island Rail Road and Metro--North.