The successor to the MetroCard could very well be a tap-and-go smart card - the same type of card now issued by many banks. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is already running a smart-card pilot program on the Lexington Line that accepts Citibank and MasterCard smart cards. That program will soon be expanded to buses and opened up to any bank-issued contactless credit or debit card. Along with the pay-as-you-go system, riders will also be able to purchase seven-day and 30-day plans good for unlimited rides.

While this all sounds fine and dandy, some are questioning what will happen for the riders who don't have bank accounts or credit cards. It turns out that most banks already sell prepaid credit cards, as do about 200 retail MetroCard merchants, so that's one option. Clearly this issue will need to be addressed further, but it seems unlikely that the MTA will fully launch the program before coming up with an effective and convenient solution, considering the number of riders it will affect.

What are some of the advantages of the smart-card program? For one, bank-issued smart cards remove the burden of processing costs from the MTA. Also, the current MetroCards work very slowly when used on buses. And then there's the fact that the MetroCard readers and vending machines are creeping ever so close to the end of their long and fulfilling lifespan.