Vending

New York's MTA wraps up MetroCard vending machine auction

tanaonte - stock.adobe.com

September 3, 2026

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New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has auctioned more than 60 retired MetroCard vending machines to transit enthusiasts, with some buyers paying more than $2,000 for the decommissioned equipment, according to a Gothamist report. Buyers picked up the machines Tuesday from an MTA warehouse in Maspeth, Queens. The units are no longer operational because the agency removed their internal computer components before selling them.

The auction attracted 380 bids, and the MTA has finalized sales of 31 machines so far. One Manhattan resident paid about $3,000 for an express machine that he plans to display as subway memorabilia, while a Los Angeles artist paid $2,250 for another unit. The MTA also donated retired machines to New York City Public Schools, including Stuyvesant High School and Transit Tech Career and Technical Education High School.

MetroCard vending machines debuted in 1999 and remained a familiar part of New York City's transit system for more than two decades. The MTA removed the final machines from subway stations in December as MetroCard payments gave way to the OMNY contactless fare system. Full-size MetroCard machines weigh more than 1,000 pounds, while smaller express versions weigh about 210 pounds. The MTA has scrapped hundreds of other machines and said millions of unused MetroCards could eventually be destroyed or offered at auction.