Harrison Leong via Wikimedia Commons
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A new 24/7 Customer Service Center is now open at the subway station on 96th and Broadway, giving Upper West Side riders in-person help with OMNY, reduced-fare programs, and general transit questions right inside one of the neighborhood’s busiest stations.
The new center officially opened in early December as part of a broader expansion announced by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. While the opening flew a bit under the radar during the holidays, it arrives at a particularly relevant moment for riders: subway and bus fares increased by 10 cents this week, and MetroCard sales officially ended on December 31.
The 96th Street location is one of five newly opened Customer Service Centers citywide, joining stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Lower Manhattan. According to the MTA, agents at these centers are available 24 hours a day to help riders transition to OMNY’s tap-and-go system, enroll in Fair Fares and Reduced-Fare programs, get real-time service information, and navigate accessibility questions.
“Customer Service Centers make it even easier for the MTA to meet customers where they are,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow in the agency’s announcement. “Whether they’re transitioning to tap-and-ride or signing up for Fair Fares, we’re ensuring customers are getting the support they need.”
To mark the opening, the MTA is offering an added incentive: the first 400 customers at each newly opened center who transfer their remaining MetroCard balance to OMNY will receive a fee-waived OMNY card. OMNY cards are currently priced at $1, though the MTA has said the fee will increase to $2 next year.
The centers are designed to bring services once limited to the MTA’s headquarters at 3 Stone Street into neighborhood stations. They occupy repurposed booths or retail spaces and feature improved lighting, accessibility upgrades, OMNY technology, and clearer signage. Station agents working at the centers receive dedicated training to assist with OMNY transfers, reduced-fare applications, wayfinding, and service updates.
The opening at 96th Street also follows earlier reporting that another Customer Service Center is planned for 59th Street–Columbus Circle, a major transfer hub serving the A, B, C, D, and 1 trains. When that location opens, it will further expand in-person support options for riders traveling through the west side of Manhattan.
Upper West Side Council Member Gale Brewer underscored the timing of the new center in a message sent Monday, noting that with the fare increase now in effect and MetroCard sales discontinued, riders may need extra help navigating the transition.
“The subway and bus fare went up 10¢ yesterday, and sales of MetroCards ended on 12/31,” Brewer wrote on Jan. 5. “The newly-opened Customer Service Center at the 96th St 1-2-3 station—or any other center in the system—can transfer an existing MetroCard balance to an OMNY card.”
The MTA says there are now 21 Customer Service Centers open citywide, with nine more expected to open soon. All centers are staffed around the clock, with the exception of the St. George location on Staten Island, which operates on limited weekday hours.
For Upper West Siders who still have money sitting on an old MetroCard—or who want face-to-face help understanding OMNY, Fair Fares, or reduced-fare options—the new 96th Street Customer Service Center offers a local, round-the-clock place to get assistance without trekking downtown.
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