Metro

Your cell phone may soon double as a MetroCard

The MTA will design a new fare payment system to replace the MetroCard by the end of this year, officials said.

The authority is considering touch-free technology that would allow riders to pay for their rides with their phones or bank cards.

The new system will be introduced in 2016 or 2017, and the MetroCard will then be phased out over three years.

It will be taken out of the system in 2019 or 2020.

An independent consultant said at the MTA board meeting on Monday that it may take even longer to phase out the Metro Card, but officials said they could meet their goals.

The card turned twenty this January, after replacing tokens in the transit system.

The MTA also announced last month that commuters on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North will soon be able to buy tickets on their smartphones and tablets.

Riders will buy tickets using an app, and then show the screen to the conductor.