Who remembers when you used to use tokens on the Turnpike or Parkway? You know, the ones you could buy in a roll from toll takers — which begs the question: Who remembers toll takers?
We’re not taking you down memory lane to remind you of days gone by (it was 2008 for tokens, by the way). But rather, to show how time marches on with transportation technology.
Here’s the latest example: At the end of the month, PATH will no longer accept SmartLink or MetroCards, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced this week.
Starting Sept. 1, only TAPP will be accepted on PATH — either a reloadable TAPP Card or a tap of a contactless credit or debit card, smartphone or wearable device.
The announcement comes at the beginning of the month to give the few remaining holdouts an opportunity to cash in the remainder of their fare cards. Riders have until Aug. 31 to use any balance left on a SmartLink card.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said the time is right.
“The day has come to sunset SmartLink as we complete the introduction of TAPP to PATH riders,” he said. “We realize changes to routines need time for adjustment and preparation, which is why we carefully planned the transition of TAPP for PATH riders as we move the system into the future.
“From coins to tokens to paper tickets and then to durable cards with embedded chips, each change has been an embrace of new technology to make it easier to ride with us. The end of SmartLink is the beginning of a new chapter in PATH’s journey to a modern transit system capable of supporting the region’s growth and development.”
The transition is already mostly complete. PATH says 96% of riders were tapping into the system with TAPP by the end of July, more than two and a half years after the payment system was introduced in December 2023. SmartLink itself dates to 2007, when it debuted as the region’s first tap-and-go fare card, replacing the paper QuickCard. The MetroCard, which PATH will also stop accepting Sept. 1, has been in use on the system since 1994, when it replaced tokens.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said the end of summer is the right time.
“Before the busy back-to-school and back-to-work season begins, PATH riders should check and use their remaining SmartLink Card balances and prepare to switch to TAPP,” she said. “Making the transition before the deadline will help ensure a seamless commute when SmartLink is retired on Sept. 1.”
For riders who haven’t made the switch, PATH will hold two online public meetings — Wednesday, Aug. 12, and Wednesday, Aug. 19 — to answer questions about the fare card changes and walk through how to move to TAPP.
The Port is well aware that not everyone will get the message — or be willing to change their habits.
With that in mind, the Port said unused SmartLink balances won’t simply vanish on Sept. 1. Riders who miss the deadline can call the TAPP Customer Service Center through February 2027 to have their remaining balance transferred to a TAPP Card.
After that, they go the way of the Turnpike token: Nostalgic, but no longer in use.
