Clever Commute is not affiliated with any transit provider.
We provide these links as a courtesy to our riders.
- NJ Transit (3-March, 2020)
- MTA (LIRR, Metro North, Subway)
- PATH (4-March, 2020)
Links to Transit Provider info about Coronavirus
NJT and “on-time” (Facts)
NJT and “on-time” (Facts)
Scenario: I need to take an NJT train to work in order to attend a 9:00 AM meeting
Note: I am responsible for where I live…how I commute…and how much lead time I need for a 9:00 AM meeting in NYC. I just need the transit providers to follow their published schedules.
The plan: NJT Train Schedule (MoBo Line, Watchung Avenue Station to Hoboken) to PATH (Hoboken to World Trade Center)
Here’s a picture: Catch the 7:44 AM…get to Hobo at 8:20 AM…hop on the PATH…arrive in time for 9:00 meeting.
(Keep reading…)
Easy-peasy, right? Well…there are two versions of what happens:
| Published Schedule | Reality |
| Arrive Hoboken at 8:20 AM Walk to PATH and take the 8:23 train to WTC Arrive at the office in time for 9:00 AM meeting | Arrive Hoboken at 8:24 AM* Walk to PATH and miss the 8:23 AM Stand around and wait Take the 8:29 AM PATH train to WTC Arrive at the office too late to attend a 9:00 AM meeting |
Regarding the asterisk in Reality, above
- Train #1002 never gets to Hoboken at 8:17 AM
- Yes, I can say never because I use the Clever Commute app to capture the actual “doors open” time each day
- It actually arrives an average of almost 4 minutes late (3:58 to be exact)
| NJT says it’s a 33-minute trip. It’s not. I encourage NJT to be realistic about train #1002. Change the published arrival time to 8:24 AM. |
You want an example?
You want an example?
Simple as that…
- 4:14 PM: a commuter posted an alert on his line to share what he heard on the train
“Conductor just announced single-tracking in/out of Penn” - Clever Commute Artificial Intelligence technology recognized that an alert about “single-tracking” is something that affects users on all NJT lines.
We therefore automatically re-shared it to all of our NJT riders. - 4:59 PM: NJT first notifies users of the issue
https://twitter.com/NJTRANSIT_MOBO/status/ 1227351567105429506 - 5:02 PM: a different commuter Tweeted their frustration (to NJT) that CleverCommute broke the story
and that NJT “announced this [problem] only 50 minutes after @clevercommute did”
See the Tweet here – https://twitter.com/jeffalexander19/status/ 1227352176298610688 NJT said they are looking into this…but as of the update time on this blog post, the original Twitter user is still awaiting a reply
https://twitter.com/StewartMader/status/1227446819506020353
Understanding the economics of Clever Commute
Understanding the economics of Clever Commute
| Summary: I try to be fair. I love running Clever. It's passion of mine...but I need your help covering the costs. If you are having second thoughts about the actual dollar cost of subscribing to the Premium version of Clever Commute, please read this and consider upgrading by using the Premium feature of the free app. |
The Clever Commute guy is an everyday NJT rider, who has been running this service for 14 years, using his own funds. See the table below to understand the costs to design, build and maintain a scalable app/service such as this.
Back-of-the-envelop math will show you that simply selling the app for $1.99 (or $2.99, or even more) is not a tenable model...especially when you remember that Apple/Google keep 30% of that right off the top.
Regarding banner ads: I have previously said they are a way to make nickles and dimes. Trust me: that statement is only a slight exaggeration. Therefore, a subscription model is the only way to build and maintain a scalable robust solution. I've been doing this since 2006. Yes, I am in this for the long haul 🙂
Summing it up: I am a 5-day-a-week commuter. I have a full-time job in NYC. I run Clever as a passion project.
Your financial support helps to defray the costs of running this service. I really appreciate each and every subscriber.
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Start by recognizing that the App Stores take 30% of revenue right off the top.
But with all that being said, here are other things to think about
- I personally spend over $400 a month on my commute. How about you?
Four bucks or so for Premium won't "move the needle" on that monthly cost we all have ...but it will help you and reduce your stress.
Click here to see what other commuters say. - We give you 30 days of Premium when you first sign up. That's a promotion.
But we also give you another month free when you convert to Premium.
(Note that any grace period for other apps is rarely a full month. Most do 7 days...maybe 14) - We give away free memberships as a matter of practice
(our policy covers the unemployed, students, recent grads, people returning to the workforce, military, senior citizens, people who are disabled, pregnant or have any kind of mobility or material health issue) - We regularly donate Clever Commute subscriptions to charity
- We take down our paywall as needed to ensure all commuters have a safe trip home
(e.g., due to weather and other emergencies)
My point: I try to be fair. I'm OK to run Clever as a public service...so I need your help covering the costs. Please consider upgrading by using the Premium feature of the free app. Overview and Feature List.
| Look at the Complexity | Understand the Dollar Costs |
| Technical integration with at least 5 transit providers We provide solutions for iOS as well as Android We offer paid as well as free versions We support 5 categories of data (not just crowdsourced) Maintaining a presence for the app in 2 app stores Our app communicates/publishes via e-mail, push notifications, web, RSS/XML and Twitter We also manage a presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok | It starts with the cost to build and maintain all these features. But it also includes the cost of vendors/providers I pay for ...
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What’s new in version 4.1.1
What’s new in version 4.1.1
Some changes happen on the back end…so end-users are already benefiting from those.
But for the sake of sharing the good news, here is the full list of what we’ve been up to
Enhancements and New Features
- New! Service Status watcher – our bots find and share early warnings that your providers don’t
- New! Get a heads up about your commute before it starts
- Participate page – Removed ads
- Recent Alerts – Port Authority alerts are now richer and faster
- Recent Alerts- PATH alerts are now richer and faster
- News You Need – Updated to reflect MTA monthly ticket sales dates
- Premium – Overhauled the back-end process to better-handle subscriptions
- Train Geolocation (NJT) – Streamlined and clarified the display
Bug fixes
- News You Need – Added the ability to show icons/graphics
- MyTrains – users now have full ability to modify their selections
Managing the “Good News” alerts at the start of your commute
Managing the “Good News” alerts at the start of your commute
| This page explains one or more of the dozens of amazing features found in Clever Commute Premium. |
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The Heads-Up feature sends Premium users the official view of their commute at the user’s stated travel time.
Some riders want to suppress those alerts. To accomplish that, they may use another Premium feature: the ability to stop notifications from any given user. How to:
- When you see such a message in Recent Alerts, tap on the actual Reported By: name
- On the subsequent screen, tap on Stop notifications
A longer (and older) video about this feature is here
The implemenation (and pros/cons) varies by provider per the table below
| Provider | Nickname | Note |
| LIRR | Official_LIRR | This will also stop notifications for intraday official LIRR alerts |
| Metro-North | Official_MNR | Other intraday notifications come from Official_MetroNorth…so user can decide to suppress one or both |
| NJ Transit Trains | Official_NJT | Other intraday notifications come from line-specific accounts…so user can decide to suppress one or both |