MTA officials had previously said high rates of fare evasion on buses were the reason it hadn’t expanded OMNY on local bus routes. Nearly half of riders on local buses do not pay the fare.

The MTA plans to launch a new mobile ticketing option in the OMNY mobile app, replacing the eTix app that commuters use. New physical tickets will also be rolled out at vending machines and ticket ...

The MTA’s aim, she said, is to make the OMNY system “bulletproof” by the time the agency sunsets the MetroCard and moves to full tap-and-go.

WHAT TO KNOW The MTA is moving ahead with a scaled-down plan to bring its contactless fare payment system, OMNY, to the Long Island Rail Road by 2026 — five years later than originally planned.

The reduced-fare metrocard now has a modern counterpart in the tap-to-pay OMNY system. MTA officials began mailing the cards to the 1.5 million enrolled reduced-fare straphangers this week.

Phone If you want to skip the online form, OMNY customer service can be called at 877-789-6669. The phone line is operating seven days a week between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to the MTA.

Functioning OMNY readers are also at the front and rear of the bus. But 54% of select bus riders and 45% of local bus riders don't pay the fare, according to the MTA.

Currently, OMNY is used by about 70% of bus and subway riders, the MTA said. MetroCards have become something of a collector's item, with more than 400 special editions issued by the MTA.