NJ Commuter Proposes a Viral Notification Service be Instituted within the Commuter Rail System in Massachusetts

I read this interesting article in Monday's Boston Globe (the 12/24/2007 issue).

A New Jersey commuter is trying to change that by taking the MBTA and its operator out of the equation. The idea is simple: harness the collective knowledge of each commuter and share it on cellphones and Blackberries.

What started as maybe a handshake agreement with a couple of my buddies" now involves thousands of riders who use New Jersey Transit, New York's Metro-North rail system, and the Long Island Rail Road, said Joshua Crandall, who founded Clever Commute two years ago.

This free service is being expanded to Boston! While the T just announced a similar program, Joshua Crandall said that "Official knowledge often lags behind the real-life experiences of riders on the tracks and platforms."

This is a great idea - sign me up!

Crandall says transit officials are often more concerned about making excuses for the delays than informing riders, who just want to know how late the schedules are and whether they should adjust their plans. During the Dec. 13 snowstorm that snarled Boston commuters for hours, he adjusted his trip home to Montclair, N.J., after learning from fellow travelers that it was better to take the PATH train to Hoboken. When the storm hit Boston, the MBTA website's service alerts were unavailable for long stretches.

Of course, Mr. MBTA (Daniel A. Grabauskas) said that the T's system "doesn't lag." It is hard to say if the T's service lags or not, but I feel comfortable in knowing that both the T and an unofficial resource are trying to keep commuters posted about service delays.

Here is how Crandall's system works:

• Riders sign up for free with an e-mail address or a cellphone number on the Clever Commute website, indicating what train line they use.

• When a rider sees a problem on the tracks, he or she sends an e-mail to Clever Commute, which sends an instant e-mail or text message to every member on that line.

Pretty easy!

Of course, the optimal solution would be to make sure that the MBTA/MBCR work to ensure that the commuter rail service operates at a 95% on-time rate. Since the commuter rail (especially the Worcester-Framingham line) has a long way to go to reach the 95% on-time percentage rate, any service that can keep commuters informed of delays is a good service.

I am interested in trying out the Clever Commute!