MTA Wants Riders to Vote on City's Next Best Transit App

The MTA has launched a contest for software applications that help riders get around by subway, bus or train. It's a sign of how the MTA has become better about sharing data, but the authority is still keeping some important information to itself.

The MTA App Quest offers $15,000 in prizes to apps that best “improve the transit experience” for the region’s 8.5 million riders. Members of the public can vote on the 42 competing apps, which range from quirky and clever to new age and newfangled.

There are now 139 transit apps based on MTA data, many of which give riders a strategic edge as they make their way through the country's largest subway system. For example, Exit Strategy NYC tells you which subway car will get you closest to your best exit or train connection.

The MTA used to make it hard for app developers to get access to things like train schedules and how many riders go through the turnstiles at each station. That changed in January 2010, after pressure from developers, when the authority put mountains of data online.

But the MTA hasn't shared data collected by countdown clocks that report the actual time a train will arrive, instead of the scheduled time. Having that kind of real-time information would make many apps more accurate.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said the authority knows the data is desirable but there's no plan for releasing it other than "it's on our to-do list." An MTA staff member who didn't want to be identified said the authority's priority is to add more countdown clocks and put GPS devices on city buses to let riders know when the next bus will reach their stop.

Many of the apps competing for MTA App Quest's $5,000 first prize are aimed at a wide audience, and some tap the latest smartphone features. The NYC Station Finder app helps you find the nearest subway station — not on a map, but with an augmented reality viewer. While standing on a street, a user can hold up a phone to scan the area with the camera. Nearby stations are then superimposed on the “reality” before you (video here.)

The TravAlarm NYC is an alarm clock that will factor in known train delays and wake you up earlier and suggest an alternate route if your subway line is running behind.

In addition to two rider’s choice awards, the rest of the prize money will be doled out by a panel of judges from city agencies, transit-friendly media outlets and tech experts.

According to the MTA, there are “more than a dozen data sets available for the challenge, including General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) schedule data, current service status, real-time information for some bus lines, elevator/escalator status, turnstile and fare data, bridge and tunnel traffic data and subway entrance GIS data.” Real time bus data is available on two bus lines.

To cast your vote, go here. Voting is open for one month.

Correction: A previous version of this article conflated TravAlarm NYC, part of the App Quest and TravAlarm, not part of the App Quest, which lets you snooze on the train by waking you up when you are about to get to your stop — not by GPS location, but by estimated time elapsed after factoring in where you entered and where you are going. WNYC regrets the error.