Vending machines installed in NYC subways as straphangers mourn human-manned newsstands

The machines are making change.

Massive vending kiosks are filling some of the dark corners of the subways left empty by the once-ubiquitous newsstands — leaving New Yorkers to mourn the bygone days of human interaction.

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The MTA unveiled three sprawling and brightly illuminated Coca-Cola machines in the underground last week to kick off the new program aimed at tackling the vacancy problem in its retail spaces.

The machines are in long-deserted shops like the one at the 2nd Avenue F train spot, but it didn’t stop commuters like Emmanuelle Nyanid from waxing nostalgic about the salesman that once occupied the space.

“In general, I feel like New York is already dehumanizing in a way,” Nyanid, 18, told The Post, though she admitted the vending machines are “cool.”

“I’ve lived here for ten years — people don’t really wanna talk to you. This is perfect for those New Yorkers.”

Matching sets can also be found at the 23rd Street R and W station and the 116th Street 6 train station — and dozens more will be installed at 23 more stations throughout the five boroughs in the coming months and into 2027, the MTA announced.

The plan had been in the works for years, with the transit agency initially seeking vendors back in 2023 after recognizing that the classic grab-and-go model was no longer as popular as it once had been.

“The robust number of newsstands of decades past went by the wayside,” David Florio, the MTA Chief of Real Estate Transactions and Operations Officer, explained to The Post, adding that vending machine operators initially approached the MTA.

“And as you know, a vending machine takes less labor than a walk-in retail unit, so we decided to try that model out.”

The MTA could not say what the vacancy rate currently stands at, but Florio confirmed that tenancy is lower than it had been before the pandemic.

There are about 180 tenanted locations throughout the city, ranging from grab-and-go to full-blown restaurants and art installations — and even new kiosks that are currently being constructed in Times Square and Grand Central.

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The vending machines are being put in low-demand retail spaces that have struggled to maintain tenants and have been configured so that they do not protrude and take up precious platform space.

“They’re basically repurposing spaces that otherwise would have remained dark,” said Florio.

Straphangers so far are split on more machines entering the subway system, with the change coming just months after OMNY machines eradicated the classic MetroCard dispensers.

“It makes me sad. Growing up here, I appreciated the culture,” said bartender Nico Jung, 22.

“Newsstands — there’s people behind the stands. It gives them work to go to every day. I enjoy a person-to-person interaction over sticking a coin in a machine … I grabbed a bottle of water this morning, and I bought it from a real person.”

Other commuters questioned whether the machines would soon become targets of criminals or how it would be resolved if a can of soda gets stuck after it was paid for.

Patricio Urruchua, however, marveled at the technological upgrade, telling The Post it proved how the Big Apple was changing with the times.

“It’s actually really practical. I didn’t know you could put this kind of stuff in the metro,” Urruchua, 22, who was visiting from Mexico City, said.

“There’s nothing compared to this. The fact that you have this kind of infrastructure, you planned out the city, it’s impressive.”

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