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New York MTA Introduces iOS App with Real-Time Subway Arrival Info
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I would argue that this design is so bad that it limits its usability. Too many taps to get to the info I want. And since it doesn't scroll like a native app (it doesn't use momentum scrolling), it takes longer to find the station I need. This goes way past clunky and ugly.
The app opens with a screen saying "Click on a line to get started, ...". Ignoring the fact that this screen's existence means there's an extra tap to get to what I need, it's "tap", not "click", on a mobile device. Every last detail in this app screams "I don't care!".
I don't know if I am the only one but mostly once I enter the Subway station my phone hardly has ever had network, So how does this work then?
Sorry if I am one of the few who faces this issue.
Regards,
Sorry if I am one of the few who faces this issue.
Regards,
When you're in the subway station you don't need this app, since there are electronic signs that have the same information. This is for when you're heading to the station and deciding if you should rush, catch a cab instead, etc.
I'm surprised this is even news in today's world.
Wow, wth have New Yorks mayors been doing all this time? Londons transport system is space age compared to what you guys have to cope with. I just assumed a city like New York would be on par but then again I haven't been there since I was 6. Your subway system should have been taking incremental steps over time, but from this article I wouldn't be surprised if the trains still ran on steam lol.
Citizens of New York need to put more pressure on the people in power, I'm only one person but your subway system looks to be the mould of the Big Apple...
Wow, wth have New Yorks mayors been doing all this time? Londons transport system is space age compared to what you guys have to cope with. I just assumed a city like New York would be on par but then again I haven't been there since I was 6. Your subway system should have been taking incremental steps over time, but from this article I wouldn't be surprised if the trains still ran on steam lol.
Citizens of New York need to put more pressure on the people in power, I'm only one person but your subway system looks to be the mould of the Big Apple...
As was pointed out, the system is over 100 years old. Second, London shuts their system down every day, NYC's is 24 hours and carries almost twice as many people. The system was collapsing from underfunding in the 70s and 80s. In the past 15 years they've made a lot of changes and invested in the infrastructure. They're replacing a lot of the trains and switches, they're adding a whole new subway line and extending another. Thats in addition to adding subway clocks and cell service in the stations and adding a whole new station for the LIRR at Grand Central.
It is actually quite easy to make an app support iPhone 5. That is if the UI is not overly complex and can be stretched without major changes... This one looks like it would be an easy one... If you know what you are doing, not all developers are equal... There are a lot of bad developers out there...
That said, it could also be a management decision... For my last app, I had to actually do it on a branch and shove it down the throat of my customer for them to finally accept it... and they were quite glad I did it.
Good for NYC.
This is useless for most other systems. For example, here in Los Angeles, unless it's 1am in the morning, your max wait is ALWAYS 10-12 minutes on rail.
This is perfect for NYC since it's subway is almost as variable as local bus service.
This is useless for most other systems. For example, here in Los Angeles, unless it's 1am in the morning, your max wait is ALWAYS 10-12 minutes on rail.
This is perfect for NYC since it's subway is almost as variable as local bus service.
Hear, hear.
Is there some good reason why transit providers can't standardize on an API to provide this real-time information?
Neither is true, and you're just being ridiculous. This is a decent app, for what limited information it provides. It's straightforward, and intuitive. You press the line you need to ride, and it gives you the list of stations that line services. You can then choose the station and get real-time numbers.
And the information it does provide is useful. I lived in DC for 3+ years, and used a couple of similar apps for the Metro there. It was nice to be able to pull up real-time arrival information for the stations while walking to them, although my apps were typically about a minute behind the boards in the station.
Future enhancements to this app should be the ability to look up nearby stations via GPS, and the ability to look at the whole system on a map.
The information is useful, but there are too many taps to get to the information (that start screen is unnecessary and redundant - it should remember your previously selected line), it doesn't use any native controls (making scrolling very difficult), it's not retina-ready or iPhone 5-ready, it's not clear which is uptown and which is downtown. I could go on. I'm not sure how they designed this, but it wasn't straight Cocoa in Xcode, and it shows.
When I need to know when my train's coming, I need that information quickly. They've done everything possible to slow down access to that information. With the amount of money the MTA spends (and the soon-to-be-increased ticket prices), they could've paid for a decent developer.
In London we have real time information for all lines, and I still sometimes use it even when you can check at the platform as it allows you to check it before you leave, to avoid waiting a long time.
For me it will come in handy when I'm leaving the office. My office is on the 6 line. I hate getting down into the station and finding out that the next train is 10 minutes away. Now I can check before I leave.
Wow I just downloaded this app even though I'm not a New Yorker, and you can tell it wasn't written natively, a little clunky, too many loading screens, and not visually appealing. When you compare it with something like 'journey pro' which is also available for free in London, and has been available for a while and much clearer, this does just seem pretty damn poor.
Once they're done paying those outrageous union wages, not much is left over for simple things like this.
The MTA is a state agency. The mayor of New York has limited influence at best. He gets to nominate a few board members but the majority are appointed by the Govenor of NY. This is part of the eternal battle of upstate/downstate politics, and even downstate there are conflicts with other divisions of the agency like the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad which serve the counties outside of NYC for passengers on commuter rail.
If I'm walking up River Ave. to 161st St. at Yankee Stadium, I can check to see how long the train will be so I can decide if I can keep walking or start running in order to catch the next ride in. I can't see those signs from the streets below.
I haven't been to the City in the last year, so perhaps others could help cure my ignorance here, but is there any meaningful data service in the subway? I did not seem to remember any WiFi or cellular data that was usable.
Now, of course, the above-ground use cases for this app exist, and I understand those, but, without data access in the station, those use cases of real-time data are pretty much unserviceable until wifi or cellular data that works...
Now, of course, the above-ground use cases for this app exist, and I understand those, but, without data access in the station, those use cases of real-time data are pretty much unserviceable until wifi or cellular data that works...
How little you must think about these things. Late at night, you might want to know the 5 train through the bronx and how long it'd take to transfer to the 2...
