{"id":6231,"date":"2026-08-05T19:45:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6231"},"modified":"2026-08-05T19:45:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:45:52","slug":"vending-machines-installed-in-nyc-subways-as-straphangers-mourn-human-manned-newsstands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6231","title":{"rendered":"Vending machines installed in NYC subways as straphangers mourn human-manned newsstands"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The machines are making change.<\/p>\n

Massive vending kiosks are filling some of the dark corners of the subways left empty by the once-ubiquitous newsstands \u2014 leaving New Yorkers to mourn the bygone days of human interaction.<\/p>\n

Read more NYC apartment building erupts in flames, massive explosion after Bronx fire injures at least 5<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The machines are in long-deserted shops like the one at the 2nd Avenue F train spot, but it didn\u2019t stop commuters like Emmanuelle Nyanid from waxing nostalgic about the salesman that once occupied the space. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn general, I feel like New York is already dehumanizing in a way,\u201d Nyanid, 18, told The Post, though she admitted the vending machines are \u201ccool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived here for ten years \u2014 people don\u2019t really wanna talk to you. This is perfect for those New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matching sets can also be found at the 23rd Street R and W station and the 116th Street 6 train station \u2014 and dozens more will be installed at 23 more stations throughout the five boroughs in the coming months and into 2027, the MTA announced. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe robust number of newsstands of decades past went by the wayside,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as you know, a vending machine takes less labor than a walk-in retail unit, so we decided to try that model out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

There are about 180 tenanted locations throughout the city, ranging from grab-and-go to full-blown restaurants and art installations \u2014 and even new kiosks that are currently being constructed in Times Square and Grand Central.<\/p>\n

Read more Momma\u2019s boy gangbanger who was driven to NYC shooting by cop mom, ex-con dad plotted hit while in court: DA<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re basically repurposing spaces that otherwise would have remained dark,\u201d said Florio. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me sad. Growing up here, I appreciated the culture,\u201d said bartender Nico Jung, 22.<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsstands \u2014 there\u2019s 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 \u2026 I grabbed a bottle of water this morning, and I bought it from a real person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Patricio Urruchua, however, marveled at the technological upgrade, telling The Post it proved how the Big Apple was changing with the times. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually really practical. I didn\u2019t know you could put this kind of stuff in the metro,\u201d Urruchua, 22, who was visiting from Mexico City, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing compared to this. The fact that you have this kind of infrastructure, you planned out the city, it\u2019s impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mass shooting at North Carolina home leaves multiple people dead: reports<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The MTA is installing Coca-Cola vending machines in the subways to combat retail vacancy rates, said real estate officer David Florio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nVending machines installed in NYC subways as straphangers mourn human-manned newsstands - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6231\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vending machines installed in NYC subways as straphangers mourn human-manned newsstands - 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