App

The one-liner: we are eliminating the old, free e-mail-based service…and replacing it with two options to receive your Clever Commute information.  [Note: It is indeed still possible to receive your alerts as e-mails].
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A large number of Clever Commuters have cut over to use the new free app. It provides all the functionality of the old way…and we are thrilled to hear what people are saying about it.

Last month, we stopped supporting any new sign-up requests for the old e-mail based way.
As of April 30, we will no longer offer a free, e-mail-based solution. Commuters have two options:

1. The free app – It works on iPhones, iPad, Android devices and even some Blackberries.
2. Our premium service [The Inside Track] – It has all of the features of the old free service (including e-mail delivery)…as well as 30+ other incredible utilities.
   The current promotion is that the $39.99 annual price is reduced to $29.99 for the first year.
   There are actually 6 ways you can get it for free!

Over the last two months, as we mange the migration to the app, we have heard two key pieces of feedback:

1. Some users want to continue to receive their information as e-mail
2. Some users want to follow information on multiple train/bus lines

The Inside Track solves for both of these challenges…and SO much more. It gives you an e-mail experience which is worlds better than the old free service. Use our mobile web site to view data as well as set your delivery preferences. Messages are delivered faster and more-reliably. They also have the the alert in the subject line of the e-mail (you may not even need to open them!). The message body has an enhanced format for readability. Also, you can hide/block messages based on category (or sender).
You have full control over when you receive the messages (e.g., time-of-day, day-of-week). You can pause/resume/snooze your alert messages, as well. You can even elect to receive your messages as text messages.  Features vary by provider (e.g. LIRR vs NJT vs Metro North)…but you also get:

• Track prediction / Track History – Use our algorithm to beat the crowds
• Train performance metrics – How punctual is your evening train?
• The ability to find trains which have been removed from the departure board – (Shhh…Did you know?)
• See the geolocation of the alerts (shows each message on a map) and trains
• And a daily Commuter Forecast for your evening commute

Final note: The Inside Track is not yet an app. However, we are in the process of moving all of the The Inside Track features into the app. Therefore, over the next few months, we’ll migrate functionality from the mobile web into the app…and it will be provide there as an in-app-purchase.

Overview: if you’d like to change the nickname you selected in your Clever Commute profile, please use the Contact option and let us know of the change. The request can be very simple. Example:
OLD: StevenBrinniker
NEW: EasyRider

More info:
When you signed up for Clever Commute, there is a note near the nickname field which lets you know that Clever Commute may share that handle with fellow commuters. A future enhancement to our app will show the nickname of the rider alongside the actual alert they sent. The exact layout is not finalized, but it will be something like this: “EasyRider: Signal problems at Secaucus are causing delays to NYP”

Therefore, if your current nickname exposes more info about your identity than you’d like, please use the steps above to request a change.

Reminder: your nickname must be between 5 and 13 characters in length. It can not

• be offensive (e.g., profanity)
• be confusing to commuters (e.g. “LIRR_Mgt”)
• contain the word Clever
• or otherwise unsuitable

Please

1. Check out our new FREE apps for iPhone/iPad/Android
2. Share the news / Share this post 
3. Vote for us to win the MTA’s AppQuest app contest 

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More info about the app:

• All the features of our legacy e-mail approach…and we are still adding more bells and whistles
• Yes – push notification
• Lots of people are using it right now
• Available in your app store…or learn more at clevercommute.com/app

More info about the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) contest – AppQuest 

• There is traditional / formal judging by a panel
• There is also a Popular Choice category…and winning that would really help us get the word out
• Please vote for us via this link

 For the visual folks: