| The check-in feature lets commuters share their train’s/bus’ location with the Clever Commute network. Any active user can send a Check-in (steps below). However, viewing these messages is done exclusively via the app…and is Opt-In only. Check-ins are not sent out as mails, texts, or push notifications. |
| To Send a Check-In | To View Check-Ins |
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| There are at least 4 very important differences between Clever Commute and Twitter: (1) We use a variety of technologies (keywords, semantics, patterns, user history, etc.) to ensure the alerts are actionable and appropriate content regarding the in-process commute. (2) We enrich each message with – the category of the problem – the impact on your commute (in minutes) – the train route and number (and origin/destination) – the geolocation of the alerts (3) We eliminate duplicate messages about the same issue (4) We deliver all messages in real time |
Please see our best practices for sending an alert to learn more about what makes a message a good message.
The filters are technology-based, so all messages are subject to the same rigor. There are indeed some false positives. and some false negatives. We do our best to resolve those in real-time.
Our robots are there to help ensure a good experience for our commuters, and also to respect our sponsors and other business partners.
Other notes:
Here is a fantastic example of how a commuter can use The Inside Track to determine which track their train will be on…before it is announced.
In this scenario, it’s 5:58 PM and the rider is shown the track number for the 6:10 PM…with 92% probability (see disclaimer below).
The transit providers claim to announce trains “10-15 minutes prior to departure.” However, this train (announced 7:47 in advance) represents what we see based on actual data.
This example demonstrates the value we provide. If you were an The Inside Track user on this day you would have known your track assignment…
Disclaimer: This is a real example from the Montclair-Boonton line on September 2, 2014. Probabilities will vary based on a variety of factors…and will change as scheduled departure time nears. Always confirm that you are on the proper train.
Here is a view of the NJ Transit departure board.
Nope…the train is not posted yet
Since we get our departure board data from the transit providers, it’s no surprise that we don’t list the track number yet, either.
But you can click through on that last column…
#1 – Your track prediction!
#2 – Track number history …as a pie chart
#3 – Track number history…as a table
#4 – Extra info…just to keep everyone honest 🙂
This is another feature of Clever Commute Premium.
Yes, your transit provider may indeed publish travel alerts on their web site. They may even e-mail some of them. But when you give them your e-mail address, you also may get unsolicited mails from them (promotions, corporate comms, etc). We solve for that, and ALSO give you these features:
And of course, if you don’t want to receive these messages, you can opt out.
Example (for NJT Riders). [Click to enlarge any image]
1. NJT publishes a Travel Alert
2. Our technology cleans, categorizes and color-codes it and sends it to you
As a text message…
or an e-mail
(inbox view)
(message view)
For trains departing NY’s Penn Station, the transit providers have a stated policy of releasing each train’s track number assignment “10-15 minutes prior” to the scheduled departure time. However, that is a guideline…not a guarantee. Some trains are announced just a few minutes in advance. Also, there are instances where the train number is known by the transit providers…but not shared with the commuters.
The Inside Track (Clever Commute’s premium service) changes all that. We use a proprietary algorithm to dynamically predict each track number before it is announced by the transit providers.
When you click-through on history icon (right-most column) for each train, you will see a page with 4 sections: (click to enlarge)
1. Date range selector – Our model is most accurate when it looks at the largest pool (e.g., 60-day) of historical data.
2. Pie chart – historical track assignments for this train
(it will change as you adjust #1 above)
3. Prediction table – For a given track number, it shows
– Location: a list of tracks that this train has used in the selected time period. Our technology eliminates some tracks as options for this train on this day (e.g., Track 3).
– Occurs: the number of times that track has been used by this train
– Historical Percentage: that number expresses as a percent of the sample size
– Probability: the Clever Commute probability of that train being on a given track for this commute
4. Day-by-day track history – track assignment for this train over the selected period
Important things to note
This is another feature of The Inside Track, our premium service.
We know that not everyone is a Twitter user. Even if you are, you may not be following the sources who provide good info.
So, we make it easy by giving all of our users access to commute-related info from the Twitter-verse
From the main page, click on the red gear…and pick Twitter timelines
By default, we show you tweets for your primary carrier. However you have options to see other providers, as well as the major terminals (e.g., NY Penn, Port Authority and Grand Central).
It’s one more way we help you leverage the wisdom of the crowds.
We also show you the latest tweets from Clever Commute.
