MNR

Official Info regarding transit ticket refunds

Official Info regarding transit ticket refunds

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Clever Commute is not affiliated with any transit agency.
We provide this info as a courtesy to our community.

Deeplink to MTA info (LIRR & Metro North)

Deeplink to NJ Transit info (with more  info below)

Digital Tickets

To refund a monthly or weekly pass:
  1. Select the pass in your All Tickets menu
  2. Swipe the pass to the left
  3. Select refund
See also: MyTix App Frequently Asked Questions Ticket Purchase screen.
Date/Timing You Will Receive
Prior to the first business day of the calendar month/week a full refund
After the start of the month/week
if the refund is requested immediately following the purchase		 a full refund
All other the cost of two one-way tickets will be deducted from the refund amount for each business day you had the pass
MyTix Support: 973-491-8810 (Monday through Friday 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM)

Paper Ticket 

Submit a refund request by mailing in your monthly pass or take it to a ticket agent or a customer service office and they will process a refund request.
The date of the refund request will be deemed to be the postmark date on the envelope used to request the refund. Weekly and monthly passes submitted before the start of the validity period will be refunded at the purchase price. Weekly and monthly passes submitted after the start of the validity period will have two full one-way fares deducted from the purchase price for each business day from the start of the validity period to the date of the refund request.
If you wish to mail in your refund request you are able to send it to the below address:
Rail Refund Department
NJ TRANSIT
One Penn Plaza East
Newark, NJ 07105-2246

Getaway Day Advice – Thankgiving 2019

Getaway Day Advice – Thankgiving 2019

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

  1. A look back at 2018: “What happened on the Wednesday before the holiday last year?“
  2. Clever Commute’s “SIX T’s” – the key to a stress-free commute on get-away day.

(1) What happened on the Wednesday before Thankgiving last year?

Overall: things were good before 1:00 PM. Conditions deteriorated in the 1:00 hour.
See carrier-specific notes below for details about what happened on your commute.

LIRR

  • The early getaway was not bad: Between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, there were scattered issues on Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branches
  • But the traditional commute saw “one of everything”…announced systemwide
    • 5:21 PM a medical issue
    • 6:01 PM (and re-stated at 6:23 PM) signal issues
    • 7:07 PM – slippery rail
    • 8:40 PM – LIRR announces things are finally on or close

Metro North

After some small noontime issues, primarily in the branches, the main 3 lines had fairly-uneventful afternoons (although those traveling near Southeast were affected by debris on track)

Metro North was also affected (6:51 PM) by the slippery rail condition announced by LIRR at 7:07 PM

NJ Transit Trains

  • Nothing out of the ordinary until 2:00 PM or so…but then the crowds took their toll
  • 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, riders used the word packed to describe several trains
  • Between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM, conditions worsened. A handful of cancels, and very crowded conditions
  • 4:45 PM – Northeast Corridor experiences overhead wire problem..and things deteriorated further
  • 5:15 PM – NJT announces
    • NEC and NJCL service is suspended in both directions
    • cross-honoring is in place
  • 6:01 PM – NJT announces NEC and NJCL service resumes with 60-min delays
    …but commutes share news that every train listed at NYP is on STAND BY
  • 8:16 PM – The NEC and NJCL delays are now announced as 30-min
    …and by 9:30 PM, things seem back to normal

Hoboken was consistently reported to be a good option throughout the day

NJ Buses

  • 2:54 PM – PABT announced The PA Bus Term for Departures (NJ-bound) is experiencing a delay due to the general volume of traffic.
  • It was a crowded, but not terrible PM bus commute. By 6:00 PM, things were fairly quiet.

(2) Here are Clever Commute’s “SIX T’s” – the key to a stress-free commute on getaway day:

1. Technology – Think and plan NOW. Update your apps, load your e-Reader, charge your headphones, curate your playlist, charge your device and consider a portable charger.
Theses simple things can greatly reduce stress.

2. 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 getaway days.
Idea: LIRR, Metro North, NJ Transit and NY Waterway all have ticket apps!

3. Timing is crucial
Use the re-cap above as a guide…but add some padding to be safe.

4. Timetables and Schedule changes 
LIRR, Metro North and NJ Transit will provide (extra) getaway day service…but all 3 have date-specific trip planners on their sites.

5. Terminal – Choose wisely

  • If it is at all within your control, avoid NY Penn Station.
  • NJT riders: consider Hoboken and/or Newark Penn
  • LIRR riders:  consider Atlantic Terminal or Hunterspoint Avenue

6. 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 Wednesday.
  • Pick/Pack your bag early and lightly!
  • Make your plan now…Do NOT wait until Wednesday morning to start thinking about this.

Have a great holiday!

A (official) ‘heads up’ before you commute

A (official) ‘heads up’ before you commute

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This page explains one or more of the dozens of amazing features found in Clever Commute Premium.

At the start of your commute, this feature sends an alert (per your notification options) to let you if your provider says things are GOOD SERVICE (LIRR/Metro-North) or On or Close (NJ Transit) .

This matches what you see at Service Status at your (train) provider’s website. E.g.,  http://mta.info or www.njtransit.com

Example:

Of course, if the official info does not match what you see, your fellow commuters would appreciate it if you’d share the real status with them. 

 

You’re In Control:  
Usage notes:

  • Adjust your My Commute times (via Settings => My Commute) to reflect your travel times
  • You will receive one notification for each commute time you have selected

Turn this feature on/off via Settings => Comms and Config => Alerts/Bots/Probes

More info about controlling these notifications: Blog post

 

Feb 17 – Metro North Power Issue – Chronology of events

Feb 17 – Metro North Power Issue – Chronology of events

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The good news is that the problem was resolved relatively quickly.
The bad news is that this issue pretty much could not have happened at a worse time of day.

Metro North’s area for improvement: Communications. There was a one-hour-and-fifteen-minute stretch of silence from Metro North…at the height of rush hour (5:08 PM to 6:23 PM).
In this window, there were no e-mail alerts sent by Metro North.

The good news: Clever Commuters stepped up and filled the information void.

Here is a color-coded breakdown of how the news flowed during this evening’s incident.
Color key:
Red – Information from Clever Commute 
Blue – Information from Metro North 

[4:39 PM] Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Line Service is temporarily delayed into and out of Grand Central Terminal due to power issues.  As more information becomes available we will notify you as soon as possible.  Please listen for announcements at your station.

[5:08 PM] Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Line Service is currently experiencing delays of 30 to 40 minutes into and out of Grand Central Terminal due to earlier power issues. Please listen for announcements at your station.

[5:14 PM] No northbound trains since 4:30

[5:24 PM] Track numbers are only posted for 2 trains. The rest of New Haven line is standing around waiting for a track number

[5:45 PM] 536 Grand Central to Croton tried to leave at 540 but now stalled 50 yards along platform.

[6:23 PM] Hudson Line Service is currently experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes due to earlier power issues in Grand Central Terminal. Please listen for announcements at your station.

[6:25 PM] 536 Grand Central to Croton took 20 mins to clear Park Ave tunnel…but moving full speed since

[6:27 PM] Harlem Line Service is currently experiencing delays of up to 35 minutes due to earlier power issues in Grand Central Terminal. Please listen for announcements at your station.

[6:31 PM] New Haven Line Service is currently experiencing delays of up to 35 minutes due to earlier power issues in Grand Central Terminal. Please listen for announcements at your station.

 [6:33 PM] 6:13 Stamford to Bridgeport was 19 mins late departing

Regarding Air Conditioning on trains

Regarding Air Conditioning on trains

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But this is really applicable to a lot of things on Clever Commute

We know it stinks when the commute is bad. Heck, that is why we built Clever Commute. But there are 3 questions to ask yourself before you send an “alert” to the group:

“Does the message I am about to send contain actionable information
1. … that people can use in order to plan their commute?
2. … with tone and content that you would find on a radio/TV traffic report?
3. … that is an objective statement (e.g., not a rant…not a question…even a rhetorical one)?
If it’s NOT yes-yes-yes…then you may just be venting. If that’s the case, then you should check out clevercommute.com/vent (yes…that’s a real thing).
Other notes:

  • Clever Commute is not affiliated with the transit providers. According to Clever Commute terms and conditions, they do not receive / read these messages.
  • Do NOT initiate any call-to-action or other advocacy on Clever Commute (e.g., direct commuters to “call the governor” etc.)
  • Please remember to use the “Was this alert helpful?” found at the bottom of every mail we send you.

Monday Morning MNR train breakdown

Monday Morning MNR train breakdown

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Here is a color-coded breakdown of how the news flowed during this morning’s incident.
Color key:
Red – Information form Clever Commute 
Blue – Information from Metro North 

The incident began at approx 8:05 AM…and was immediately reported by the commuters.
The first e-mail from Metro North comes almost 40 minutes later. 

8:05 AM – 641 cannondale to gct is broken down in the bronx with engine failure – and no ac – expect backups behind us
8:21 AM – 741 cannondale to gct still broken down after 20 minutes – outbound train just stopped with mechanical forces – expect major delays
8:22 AM – 7:07 SoNo to GCT is disabled for 15 mins now. E of Fordham
8:30 AM – Rescue train will take disabled train to 125 where we can tranfser – engine overheated and low oil pressure – already 30 minutes late – first day of a hot week

8:43 AM – New Haven Line Customers should anticipate delays of 5 to 10 minutes traveling into Grand Central Terminal due to a disabled train in the vicinity of Fordham. Please listen for announcements at your station.

8:48 AM – Disabled train waiting for rescue engine after being stopped fo 50 minutes – and metro no just sent an email blast – delays will be much longer than the 5 to 10 minutes they claim 
9:13 AM – Disabled train moving with rescue engine after 75 minute breakdown 

9:18 AM – New Haven Line Service is now operating on or close to schedule. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced as result of this incident.