It’s been a big growth spurt for us…and a lot of message volume. We want to keep this community as helpful as possible…so here are the headlines

1. 1. 1. Even though there are expected daily delays, if you have info which helps…then by all means share it. But please remember our best practices.
         Be helpful and pretend that you are sharing info for a real traffic report
         If you want to be funny/sarcastic/snarky, then do that via our Vent feature
      2. In the morning: Do not always post what time your train arrived at the terminal
      3. In the evening:
         Do not always post what time your train departed the terminal
         Do not share (or ask for) track number information

      
      For 2 and 3, there are so many trains that it just gets too noisy (see FYI below)
      

      4. Where applicable, use the existing feature to identify what train you are on
      5. vote…Vote…VOTE.
         Use the ThumbsUp/ThumbsDown feature in Recent Alerts to designate what is helpful
         Do not upvote things just because you think they are funny.
         View the voting results on our Leaderboard
         NOTE: We DO follow-up with the best and worst senders. Therefore voting is your top tool to ensure we can recognize the good…and “coach” the bad.

      FYI: We are working on several enhancements to help the service adjust to what is happening.
      For example, we will improve the way we identify and suppress duplicate messages (hence #4 above).

      Not to be sales-y…but if you want track number info, our Premium service does everything you want…and probably things you never thought of. We predict your track, e-mail/text/push you the track number, show you track number history, and even show you track number after it was removed from the departure board. It’s incredibly powerful and does so much more than simply give you track number info (see all features). Why not start your 30-day free trial of Premium by selecting Premium in the app?

       

       

As a service to commuters, we provide this getaway advice for those who are exiting NYC (via public transit) for the Memorial Day holiday. Read on for: 

1. A look back at 2016: “What happened on the Friday evening before Memorial Day Weekend last year?“
2. Clever Commute’s “FIVE T’s” – the key to a stress-free commute on get-away day.

(1) What happened on the Friday before Memorial Day last year?

Commuter Trains Summary 

• As usual, train riders from Grand Central had an easier “go” of things versus NY Penn Station riders
• NY Penn Station riders reported crowds as early as 1:30 PM
• Peak exodus from NYC was in the 2-3:30 PM window (crowds in the station, long ticket lines)
• People definitely left NYC early…and by 6:00 PM, they generally reported fairly normal conditions 

——

(2) Clever Commute’s “FIVE T’s” – the key to a stress-free commute on get-away day:

1. Tickets – tickets..Tickets…TICKETS. Get them early!
If you or your traveling companion will need a ticket, get it BEFORE Friday afternoon.
Lines are loooooong on get-away days.
💡 LIRR, Metro North, NJ Transit and NY Waterway all have ticket apps!  

2. Timing is crucial
For those who use NY Penn, we expect this year’s commute to be worse than last. Use the re-cap above as a guide…but add some padding to be safe. 

3. Timetables and Schedule changes 
LIRR, Metro North and NJ Transit will provide (extra) getaway day service.
(We’ll link to it once MTA posts theirs) 

4. Terminal – Choose wisely
If it is at all within your control, avoid NY Penn Station.
We include that guidance with every “getaway” briefing we do. But due to the ongoing Amtrak work, it’s especially true now. 

• NJT riders: consider Hoboken and/or Newark Penn
• LIRR riders:  consider Atlantic Terminal or Hunterspoint Avenue

5. Other Tips: 

• Dress in layers – the terminal or the trains can be warm
• Bring water/snacks – save time…save money. Plan ahead.
• “Baggage strategy” matters – There is going to be lots of luggage around on Friday.
  Pick/Pack your bag early and lightly! 
• Make your plan now…Do NOT wait until Friday morning to start thinking about this.

Have a great holiday!

Send an Alert has been overhauled

• It is now Participate
• Wizard-like interface showing what is required
• Re-ordered the choices for The Issue

Enhanced the processing when sending alerts

• Faster and more-reliable

GREAT NEWS!

At this time, we have configured the Clever Commute app so that all users have free access all Premium features.

Q: What is Premium?
A: You may know Clever Commute as a free app…and it is. However, there are also dozens of amazing features which we provide to those who subscribe to Clever Commute Premium

Q: What are the features?
A: It’s a long list. See it here.

Q: Do I need to do anything to see the changes right now?
A: Just exit and re-enter the free app to experience eveything we have unlocked for you.
– See more hours of history in Recent Alerts (instead of the “2” that free users get)
– Recent Alerts is easier to read (enhanced color coding and formatting)
– Faster refresh (Recent Alerts will automatically refresh more often)
– See alerts on your Primary, Secondary and Tertiary routes

You can set/see more fetures via Settings => Comms and Config
(and also just by clicking on options throughout the app)

UPDATED after the 4-April PM commute (see NEW below)

NEW: NJT Press release re: extra trains and new ferry service

It’s going to be tough sledding for a while…

• NEW: L Higgs (NJ.com) Sorry, but your NJ Transit commute from hell might not end today
• NEW: A Siff (NBC) No End in Sight to Commute Nightmare

The best sources of official info are

1. www.njtransit.com –  The actual URL for the details may change. So just go there and look for the big message front-and-center on that page.
2. NJ Transit’s Twiter feed – https://twitter.com/njtransit.
   You do NOT need a Twitter account to go to that site on any browser.

One constant: Cross honoring remains in effect with NJ TRANSIT bus, private carrier bus, NY Waterway ferry, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street.

NEW: A list of ways to travel between Manhattan and Hoboken

NEW: A link to the NJT App

Also: Previous Clever Commute contingency blog posts (note: some may be out of date)

The other, best source? Clever Commute!  

1. In case you are not yet onboard, then please get our free app
2. Please invite your coworkers to get our free app (https://clevercommute.com/app/).
3. (also cover LIRR and Metro North)
   We’re onboarding lots of new users today…all are welcome!
4. Work in the media? (or know someone who does?), please contact us so we can add you to our “media advisory” list
5. If you have any questions about our best practices for sending alerts, please review them.
6. We’re on Twitter
   – Follow @clevercommute for general info
   – Get your line-specific alerts as tweets (see clevercommute.com/twitter for all the follows)

To sum it up:

• Use the official and unofficial channels to stay informed
• Allocate extra time for your commute
• Use our free app to share some digital breadcrumbs to help fellow passengers 🙂
• Be thankful things were not worse 🙂

If you have any questions, please use the Contact feature of our web site. 

Highlights:

• The real-time LIRR feed is resolved
  • LIRR Departureboard is back
    • New feature: AM/PM views (automtic or manual)
    • New feature: “show departed trains”
  • Premium users can receive track predictions and track alerts
• Several fixes/refinements to the logic which allows use to identify the train for a given alert
• Other enhancements for stability and security

First of all, a big THANK YOU to the Clever Commuters who broke the story this morning (news account). Fortunately, we are not hearing of any injuries at this time. 

Here’s what you need to know for tonight’s commute:

One of the best sources of official info is NJT’s Twitter feed – https://twitter.com/njtransit
You do NOT need a Twitter account to go to that site on any browser.
UPDATED 3:30 PM Here is info from that feed (this is all subject to change)

• NJT has published this PM schedule from NYP
• MTD will continue to operate in/out of Hoboken
• HOB services will also be impacted due to the additional trains in the terminal
• Cross honoring is in effect system-wide with NJT bus, private carriers, NY Waterway and with PATH at NPS, HOB, and 33rd Street in NY

Other tips for you 

1. Please follow us on Twitter (@clevercommute)
2. You can get your alerts via tweet
   (see clevercommute.com/twitter for all the follows)
3. Stop by our Facebook (facebook.com/clevercommute) page to see and comment on pictures from the incident
4. Please invite your coworkers to get our free app (https://clevercommute.com/app/).
   (also cover LIRR and Metro North)
   We’re onboarding lots of new users today…all are welcome!
5. If you work in the media (or know someone who does), please reply so we can add you to our “media advisory” list
6. If you have any questions about our best practices for sending alerts, please review them.

To sum it up:

• Use the official and unofficial channels to stay informed
• Allocate extra time for your commute tonight
• Use our free app to share some digital breadcrumbs to help fellow passengers 🙂
• Be thankful things were not worse 🙂

If you have any questions, please use the Contact feature of our web site. 

The links in the Option column generally lead to Trip Planner tools at the provider’s web site

Bug Fixes

• Duplicate broadcast messages are fixed
• Duplicate confirmations to senders of broadcast or auto-forwarded messages are fixed
• When using Send an Alert, users may now select their train
  
• Fixes to accuracy of train selection in MyTrains

Enhancements

• When provided in Send An Alert, train numbers are shown in Recent Alerts
• In Recent Alerts – improved handling of special characters

What’s changing?

Since subscribers pre-pay, we arranged a migration which ensures

• it’s not a hassle for our client
• we tip the scale in the client’s favor

On the day you are next billed, WE do 3 things:  

1. Refund the payment you just made
2. Halt all future PayPal payments to us
3. Set your Inside Track account to Expired

YOUR NEXT STEPS:  Visit the free app and use the “Premium” menu option to upgrade

Cool: Your first 30 days of the app-based premium service are free!