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Frequently Asked Questions

If You Are Considering Our Free Service

What are the features of the free app?

We explain that all here.

Does the app send "Notifications"? E-mail? Text messages?

Yes (push notifications)

E-mail and Text messages are offered via our premium service

The beauty of the app-based approach is that you can receive notifications right on your phone...and handle them as you'd like.

Are there versions for both Android and iOS?

Yes - iPhone, iPad and Android devices are ALL supported!

See your app store or clevercommute.com/app for details.

Which transit providers does the service currently cover?

  • All 8 NJ Transit commuter lines
  • All 10 LIRR branches
  • All 6 MNR branches
  • PATH trains
  • And about a dozen buses from NJ to Port Authority Bus Terminal

What are the examples where Clever Commute helps?

We've seen a transit strike, power outages, police activity, gas leaks, switch problems, disabled trains, trouble with the bridges, overturned trucks, and an unruly person who was able to close down the Port Authority with his suspicious behavior.

Here are a few hundred examples

How does this differ from the alerts from New Jersey Transit (LIRR, Metro-North, etc)?

The content in the Clever Commute free service comes exclusively from your fellow commuters.

We have found our alerts to be more user-friendly, action-oriented, targetted, and in many cases they are more timely.

For Current Users of Our Free Service

Why does the Recent Alerts page show old alerts?

If it is the case that there are no Recent Alerts, then we (1) give a message saying so...and (2) show some recent examples.

FYI "Recent" means "from the previous 2 hours"

In the picture below, we added the green arrow and box for emphasis.

Remember: Users of the free service only see the previous 2 hours of alerts. So if there have not been any in that window, you'd then see an unwelcoming blank page. Instead, we show examples of well-formed (upvoted) alerts from your route/branch of travel.

Not to be salesy, but users of our Premium service have a lot more control over the info they see.
They can set the Recent Alerts page to show more history...from more routes...refreshed more-quickly.

How is the nickname field used? Can I change mine?

When you sign up, we ask you to select a nickname. Your nickname will be associated with any posts you make using the app.

We ask that you select a nickname which meets these criteria

  • Serves as a proxy for you...while not revealing personal information (e.g., smitty is better than  JohnSmithFromReuters)
  • Will not cause confusion (e.g., we do not want to see anything such as OfficialLIRRInfo)
  • Please avoid profanity or anything even mildly offending

If you want to change your nickname, please contact us (at this time, you can not change it yourself).

 

 

 

Why does the Recent Alerts page show old alerts?

If it is the case that there are no Recent Alerts, then we (1) give a message saying so...and (2) show some recent examples.

FYI "Recent" means "from the previous 2 hours"

In the picture below, we added the green arrow and box for emphasis/

Remember: Users of the free service only see the previous 2 hours of alerts. So if there have not been any in that window, you'd then see an unwelcoming blank page. Instead, we show examples of well-formed (upvoted) alerts from your route/branch of travel.

Not to be salesy, but users of our Premium service have a lot more control over the info they see.
They can set the Recent Alerts page to show more history...from more routes...refreshed more-quickly.

How is the nickname field used? Can I change mine?

When you sign up, we ask you to select a nickname. Your nickname will be associated with any posts you make using the app.

We ask that you select a nickname which meets these criteria

  • Serves as a proxy for you...while not revealing personal information (e.g., smitty is better than  JohnSmithFromReuters)
  • Will not cause confusion (e.g., we do not want to see anything such as OfficialLIRRInfo)
  • Please avoid profanity or anything even mildly offending

If you want to change your nickname, please contact us (at this time, you can not change it yourself).

 

 

 

What are some commonly-used abbreviations/jargon in Clever Commute?

SRO - Standing room only

MTD - Mid Town Direct

Helix -  the Lincoln Tunnel Route 495 roadway approach

How come my stop/station (bus, PATH, etc) are not listed?

We're working on it.

  • The major terminals are listed (including Port Authority Bus Terminal)
  • Just be sure to populate your profile with your home zip code
  • For the Origin and Destination fields just pick the nearest ones

How do I change my e-mail address?

Use the Contact feature of our web site to send a request to us via e-mail...and we'll take care of of it.

Just let us know "Old" and "New"

 

Can Clever commute help me if I experienced a mean / discourteous driver / conductor etc?

That is something you'd need to pursue with your carrier.
FYI - Clever Commute serves riders from dozens of service providers...and the process is different at each one.

Howver, you may want to use our Vent service to let off a little steam 🙂

For User Of Our Premium Service

Why do the text messages come from several different numbers?

For now, you may indeed receive messages from a handful of numbers.

Tip: Create a new contact in your address book...and the various numbers to that one contact. That way, it will appear as one number.

I am retiring / moving to Mars. How do I cancel my subscription?

We can't think of any other reason for someone to leave this amazing service 🙂

In all seriousness: If you are thinking about leaving, please contact us and let us know why.

But in any event, here are the instructions for iOS users and for Android users.

Please consider our Premium version (30-day free trial)

Does everyone need to pay to get the Premium service?

As of now, there are at least 9 ways to get the Premium service for free.

What does it cost? How do I pay?

The free app is downloaded from iTunes / Google Play.

After (or during) the 30-day free trial of Premium, you subscribe via an in-app purchase in your app store.

It is a subscription product, with a cost of just $4.25 a month (billed annually).

What are the features of the Premium service?

A lot. It are literally dozens of features on top of all the free features.

Does Premium have a free trial period?

When you install the free app, we give you 30 days of Premium for free.

When you purchase after the trial expires, your first 30 as a paid user are actually free, as well.

Does the Premium information really come from 5 sources?

Yes! It's way more than just crowdsourced.

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