Subway Cards USA Trivia Quiz

Answer: New York City

The New York City subway system is one of the world's oldest systems, opening in October 1904. It is also one of the most extensive, with 672 stations over 248 miles. In 2017, over 5 million people rode on the NY subway on the average weekday.

Starting in 2019, New York transit authorities began phasing in the OMNY Card. It is a contactless value added smart card. The OMNY Card is black with white lettering. The card is available at transit stations and on buses throughout New York City, as well as many major retailers. In early 2022, authorities announced that the OMNY project was 15 months behind schedule. They hope to have the cards fully integrated by the middle of 2023.

Between 1993 and 2022, the New York Transit system used a bright yellow card with the word Metrocard in blue on the front. It contained a magnetic stripe which riders swipe at turnstiles. The Metrocard system replaced old payment systems (tokens) by 2003.

Answer: Los Angeles

The Los Angeles subway system began in 1990. The two subway lines are B and D, which cover 22.8 miles across 22 stations. The subway lines connect with light rail lines (71 stations) covering much of the rest of the LA area. The LA Metro system had 108 million riders during 2018.

The Transit Access Pass (TAP Card) was phased in starting in 2012. It is a stored value smartcard that riders can add value to. The TAP cards have come in many styles, so many that there is an avid collectorship in the Los Angeles area. Two of the more popular cards during 2022 were the Cesar Chavez card and Muslim American Heritage Month. A card celebrating the opening of Barack Obama Boulevard in LA was extremely popular.

Answer: Chicago

Chicago has one of the oldest transit systems in the country. The first "El" Trains ran in 1892. The current system, run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, has 145 stations over 8 routes and 102.8 miles. The Chicago "El" system had 226 million riders in 2018.

The Ventra Card system began in 2013 and was fully phased in during 2014. Ventra cards are contactless stored value smartcards, and can be used across the Chicagoland transit system. They are light/dark blue with a triangular pattern.

The Ventra system has also moved into Apps for use on phones.

Answer: Philadelphia

Philadelphia's first subway line opened in 1906. The main line, today, the Green Line, runs from near City Hall to 33rd Street. The system is managed by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), and covers roughly 64 miles in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Key Cards were introduced to the public in 2017 and old systems were phased out by mid-2018. Key Cards are teal blue and feature the phrase SEPTA Key with the "K" in red. The system is administered by Mastercard.

Answer: San Francisco/Oakland

The Bay Area Rapid Transit System, which serves San Francisco and Oakland, saw its initial runs in 1972. It is one of the busier systems in the country, with 118 million passengers in 2019. BART covers 131.4 miles across 50 stations.

BART passengers use a navy blue card called Clipper. The Bay area was one of the first systems to use smartcards, starting with a program called TransLink in 2002. The Clipper program began in 2010. The program is called "Lulutong" in Chinese meaning "go everywhere card." Clipper Cards are accepted by 24 different transit agencies in the Bay Area.

Answer: Washington DC

The Washington DC subway system began in 1976, and is the second busiest system in the USA (after New York). The system has grown to 91 stations across 117 miles, with stations in Maryland and Virginia as well as DC. The DC Metro had 295 million riders during 2018.

The SmarTrip Card is blue and green, with landmarks such as the Capitol and Washington monument decorating it. The program started in 1999 and was extended to the whole system by 2012. For special occasions, WMATA has issued special cards; they did so for the 2009 and 2013 inaugurations of Barack Obama and for the anniversary of the National Zoo in 2014.

Answer: Boston

Boston has the oldest subway system in the United States, opening in 1897. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority runs 147 stations over 65 miles. The main subway lines are the Red, Orange and Blue. The MBTA had 352 million riders during 2014.

The Charlie Card is a tribute to the Kingston Trio hit, the "MTA Song" which was originally written in 1949 and tells of a transit rider named Charlie. The rollout of the Charlie Card in 2004 actually featured a performance by the Kingston Trio.

The Charlie Card was phased in during 2006. It is stored value card that passengers tap at turnstiles. The card features a subway car filled with riders; its color scheme is white and green.

Answer: Baltimore

The Baltimore Metro is administered by the Maryland Transit Authority. The first station opened in 1983, and the system currently has 14 stations over 15.4 miles. Metro cars in Baltimore are blue.

Charmcards are rechargeable stored fare cards. They are light blue for regular cards and yellow/orange for reduced fare riders. The MTA introduced Charm Cards in 2017.

Answer: Atlanta

Atlanta's subway system began in 1979 with the opening of the East-West line, followed 2 years later by the north-south line. It is administered by MARTA, the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority. The system has 38 stations over 48 miles, and has a daily ridership of 216,400.

Atlanta subway riders use the Breeze Card, which was phased in starting in 2006. The original breeze cards were blue; since 2017 they have been silver. Breeze Cards are contactless RFID cards. Atlanta's card system is administered by Cubic Transportation.

Answer: Miami

Miami's MetroRail system is above ground, but is still one of the busier transit systems in the USA. It contains 23 stations over 24.4 miles of track. It runs from Miami International Airport to downtown Miami. The system had almost 20 million riders in 2017.

Metrorail riders use Easy Cards. The cards can be used on MetroRail, MetroBus, Tri-Rail and City of Hialeah Transit. Some versions of the card are dark green, while others are light blue with palm trees. Metrorail began phasing in the shared value cards in 2011.