But they are doing some thing right, really right.
If you are a regular rider and not using any of their tracking apps, you should give it a try. These apps turn the unknown of taking the T (how long do I have to wait for the next bus? When is the next train arriving?) and turns it into a known. You can now track 3 of the 4 subways lines and the bus lines.
And you can do it across multiple platforms – personally, I use the “Track the T” app on my desktop and an Ipad at home. But there are also multiple Iphone and Android options. There’s even a text service – you text your bus route and stop number to 617 299-6951 and it texts back when the next two buses will arrive.
These apps eliminate that irritating open-ended wait for the T and made me a much more satisfied user. In fact, research has shown that knowing arrival times raised customer satisfaction by 24% (without any actual change in service levels).
More subtly, but perhaps more important from a public policy perspective, the MBTA should be lauded for its strategic insight. Rather than conducting a lengthy procurement process and building an application that they think you want, the T has put itself in the postion of ‘wholesaling’ information – putting raw data out there and letting independent developers use it to build apps that the market wants. All at a modest cost the T (particularly modest relative to a building something in-house.)
Knowing when your train or bus will arrive, to the second, is a valuable tool. Go give it a try if you haven’t already.
Crossposted at Boston Daily.
