The Clever Commute Blog

Here are some examples of where Clever Commute was helpful. When we created this service, we never thought we’d see:

• Someone climbing the NY Times building
• A suspicious passenger at Port Authority
• Rain with Floods
• So many  automobile / truck accidents and disabled vehicles

But in case people ask “are there really that many delays?”…

Clever Commute [5:38 PM] - Just announced 20-30 min delays on ’some trains leaving Penn Station’ Due to disabled train in east tunnel
NJ Transit [5:51 PM] - Due to disabled Amtrak train at PSNY, westbound NEC, NJCL and MidTOWN DIRECT trains subject to 20-30 minute delays

June 24, 2008

Clever Commute [7:47 AM] - 7:27 Summit NYPenn train stuck in Millburn with mechanical problems

NJ Transit [8:08 AM] - M&E: Eastbound Morris & Essex Lines trains are subject to 10-15 minute delays due to an earlier disabled train near Millburn.
Sent: 8:06 AM

Welcome to all the riders who joined after reading about Clever Commute in Newsday. There is still plenty of room to grow…and the value of these communities increases as more people join. Please share the good news of Clever Commute.
You have joined a community that gives you the ability to help (and receive help from) your fellow passengers. All of the “alerts” and “advisories” will come from YOU…and are sent directly to your fellow commuters (on your line).

* Your should have received a “Welcome” mail.
Please make note of the one e-mail address you need for the train line your ride
(You can always reach CleverCommute staff via the website)
* Please make your messages to the group (1) constructive and (2) factual (share statements about what you see/know…do not ask questions of the group…as there are many many people in these Clever communities)
* The recent media attention has indeed caused a “growth spurt” in our membership…so there will be some growing pains I’m sure…but we’ll get through it together.
* Follow this link to a few bullet points on “best practices”
http://clevercommute.com/blog/page-rules-of-the-road/
Thanks for making this happen. Let’s hope for a smooth commute.

-Conductor Josh

Clever Commute has recently completed the development of a new product.
We now have the ability to deliver the aggregated content of all Clever Commute messages…in real-time
So, disaster recover professionals can have a “dashboard” which gives full visibility into the state of public transportation at the times when you need it (blackout, snowstorms, fires, etc).
The way it works: we start with the e-mail messages send among commuters…and we strip out the personally-identifiable info. The resulting product is a feed of data which allows DR professional to fully leverage the comprehensive info from the field.

Friday’s events were exceptional in several ways…even in the context of how challenging that train line has been lately.
I do think that  - ultimately - this group did a suitable job of self-regulating in light of a very unique set of circumstances.

There were probably a few lessons learned…and that’s understandable given the recent growth of this list.
I’d continue to encourage people to familiarize themselves with the so-called “rules of the road” for Clever Commute riders (http://clevercommute.com/blog/page-rules-of-the-road/)

“CC” is still young in many respects…and we’re simply not resourced to do some of the things I think we’d all like to see (e.g., create “rider advocacy” initiatives focused on the transit providers and the local government). As our functional and business models mature, I’m looking forward to making those things happen.

But for now, I’m going to strongly encourage us to “do one thing…and do it well”
Let’s continue to leverage the “wisdom of the crowd” in order to get us in/out of NYC quickly, safely, and with as little stress as possible.

I continue to encourage you limit your use of the list to strictly train-related alerts. With that said, I do want you to know that my in-box is open to your comments.

Good luck with Monday’s commute.

–Josh

Clever Commute [7:43 AM]
Sick passenger on the 7:45 Huntington train

LIRR Service Advisory [8:06 AM]
The 6:57 AM train from Port Jefferson to Hunterspoint Avenue is operating 15 minutes behind schedule due to a customer requiring medical assistance at Huntington.
Apr-15-2008 08:05:47AM

Clever Commute [8:02 AM]
Just announced switch problems

Clever Commute [8:25 AM]
7:46 Watchung to Penn due in at 8:26. 8:24 now and not yet to Secaucus.

Clever Commute [8:42 AM]
Just announced Wire problems at the tunnel. One track is operating in and out

NJ Transit [8:48 AM]
NEC, NJCL and MidTOWN trains are subject to 10-15 minute delays in and out of New York due to an Amtrak overhead wire problem.
Sent: 8:45 AM

Clever Commute [7:43 AM]
7:15 from summit outside the tunnel, just announced ‘emergency in tunnel’ will likely single track. 7:44 am

NJ Transit [7:56 AM]
Eastbound trains are subject to 10-15 minute delays into New York due to earlier disabled train.
Sent: 7:53 AM