I can’t say I know a lot about poetry…but someone sent this along…so I figured “why not?”
It’s a poem called “Commuters”
Poetry in (of) motion?
January 17th, 2012Thanksgiving get-away 2011
November 20th, 2011More on #1 for the major carriers:
- Metro North’s Thanksgiving Holiday Service for Hudson, Harlem & New Haven Lines, Nov. 23-27
- LIRR Offers Extra Thanksgiving Weekend Service; Off-Peak & Family Fares in Effect
- NJ Transit – As of press time for us, we could only find Thanksgiving Holiday Bus Schedules
(they usually post something about trains…so keep an eye on their web site for that)
But…ONLY Clever Commute will show you What happened last year on ‘getaway’ day?
We think this info is key to helping you plan. Here is the rundown:
On Wednesday, November 24, things got crowded after 1:00 PM…but 3:00 looked to be the worst of it:
Trains:
1:05 PM [Penn Station] – LIRR rider shared this: 1:05 running 10 min late. Probably due to overcrowding on short train
3:25 PM [Penn Station] – NJT riders share these
- Train was SRO – hundreds of passengers left on platform
- Packed to to gills; no standing room even
- and finally – stuck at Newark for crew to push passengers aside to open the doors
Bus:
3:05 PM [Port Authority] – DeCamp bus rider shared these this: long lines for all Decamp gates.
3:12 PM – we received these messages
- SRO with people still at the gate
- 410/411 backed up to 402
…and so it went for most of the afternoon.
Commuter Tax benefit
November 8th, 2011Here is something to keep your eyes o.
The commuter tax benefit, the tax break provision in the stimulus bill in 2009 by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), is set to end at the end of this year.
Read up on it at sites like this one.
6 Interesting ways to get to NYC when the Montclair-Boonton train line is not running
October 31st, 2011Wow! You folks are creative! Earlier today, we asked “Since no trains are running, how did you get to NYC today?”
Now…what you might not know is that NJT always does some degree of cross-honoring. Your train pass may be valid for a bus (or light rail) that can get you home.
For more info, go here http://www.njtransit.com/ti/ti_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=RailTicketsTo and click on Travel Flexibility
Here is what 6 others said…in no particular order. Sorry if there are still questions about these details…as we did not have time to review each one. You can add more in the “comments”
Something tells me you might want to bookmark this page…;)
(1) Drove to Sec. Junction. Parked. Took any available train into Penn. Already have a monthly so only extra cost was parking for the day. Very easy.
(2) I live in Verona, and work in lower Manhattan. So, today I took the 29 express bus to Newark Penn Station. When I Got there, I took the Path train to the World Trade Center. The bus was cross-honoring my train pass, so that didn’t cost extra. I got to work a little earlier than usual, in fact.
(3) LAZ Parking at 138 Magnolia, Jersey City connects underground to the JOURNAL SQUARE PATH. The cost is 10 bucks for 12 hours.
(4) To reach Newark City Subway:
Ride the #28 bus or drive to Grove Street Station Park N Ride via Bloomfield Avenue or Franklin Avenue.
Drive south toward Newark, passing under the Garden State Parkway overpass, and continue to Watsessing Avenue.
From Bloomfield Avenue, continue one more block and turn left on Grove Street.
From Franklin, turn right on Watsessing and bear right on Grove. Park and Ride parking machine is located near the entrance to the Light Rail Station ticket kiosks.
(Map of station location http://tinyurl.com/4ypmw92 )
Monthly train pass holders do NOT need to purchase a ticket to ride the light rail. For others, a one-way ticket is $1.35.
Ride to Newark Broad Street if connecting train lines are running, or to Penn Station to connect with PATH service and other NJ Transit trains that may be in service.
(5) I drove from Glen Ridge to Harrison this morning. Traffic on the GSP was about usual volume although Rte. 280 was jammed up due to an accident on the west side about ¼ mile west of the train station. Plenty of parking in Harrison. Trip took about 25 – 30 minutes. The Path train to Exchange Place was very crowded.
(6) From Glen Ridge:
1.) Took Bus (a special NJT train that was running when I got to the bus stop) to the Bloomfield light rail station.
2.) Took Light Rail to Newark Penn Station
3.) Took NJT train to New York Penn Station
Actually didn’t take much longer than my actual commute.
Great news for Metro North New Haven Line Riders
October 30th, 2011You asked…we listened (did I really just write that?)
In addition to sending/receiving messages from the broader community for the New Haven line, commuters can now also sign up for Clever communities for each of the 3 branches which feed the main line.
- New Canaan
- Danbury
- Waterbury
How? First, you need to sign up: Just as you did when you first joined Clever Commute, go to our sign-up page and check the box next to the sub-routes you want to add (yes…go through the sign-up process again [sorry]).
Once we add you, we’ll share the e-mail address which you are to use to send branch-specific alerts.
Please note that this means you’ll need to be a bit more thoughtful when sharing info with your fellow passengers.
- If you have something to share which will impact all riders on the New Haven line…then send it to the “New Haven Line” community
- However, if it is only of interest to “your” branch, then send it to the branch-specific community
Other notes:
- It’s up to you to “add” the new community by signing up (we can’t add you)
- Yes…you can receive these messages as Tweets. See clevercommute.com/twitter for more info
Draft ‘Pledge’ outlines LIRR commitment for timely and accurate customer information and procedures during emergencies
October 24th, 2011So…what do you think?
http://www.mta.info/supplemental/lirr/LIRRDraftCustomerPledge.htm
Simplifying the “on-boarding” process ;)
September 26th, 2011No one knows better than the commuters that it’s a mobile world.
We’re in tune with that…and are rolling out a new feature: the ability to sign-up via your smartphone!
All you need to do is send an e-mail to:
We’ll continue to work on creating a smooth experience for all end-users. For now, iPhone users are raving.
This is a start…and of course your feedback is welcome.
Regarding how quickly we deliver your message
September 23rd, 2011We hope you can appreciate that -as a free service- we do our best to ensure you get your updates as quickly as possible.
Please remember that all messages have a timestamp at the end of the subject line (e.g., [NJTT-NEC] Train 3969, 5:41pm exp NY – TTN on stand by (05:38 PM))
You can think of that timestamp as the time that Clever Commute received / processed the message (indeed: received and processed may not be the exact same time…but it’s close enough for this context). I’ll spare you the full details…but please keep in mind that the journey to your mailbox has several “legs”.
Q: Is there any way I can receive my messages faster than waiting for the e-mail?
A: “yes” – via our mobile app
Use your phone’s web browser and go to http://m.clevercommute.com. We publish “alerts” there at the same time that we send them out to all of you via e-mail. Therefore, this is an alternative to waiting for that mail to be delivered. You can even bookmark/shortcut a link to your line. For example, here is the Montclair-Boonton line
A: “yes” – via Twitter
We also publish “alerts” to Twitter. So if you go there, you may be able to avoid waiting for e-mail delivery. Each line has a follow. They are all listed here: http://www.clevercommute.com/twitter. For example, the Montclair-Boonton line is @cc_njtt_mbntn
A: “maybe”
Try signing up via a different e-mail address. Yup…free account are sometimes slower to deliver the mail. So if you have a “paid” / corporate e-mail address, you may see faster throughput there.
Still not satisfied?
If you still think that it’s taking “a long time” (e.g., 2 minutes after the timestamp), then we need to see exactly where the bottleneck is. Please note that the only way for us to help you is if we can see the full technical details of the delayed mail. It’s a bit geeky, but you’ve got to show us the “header”. Not to fear: we documented it all here: http://getsatisfaction.com/clevercommute/topics/it_took_a_long_time_for_one_of_your_e_mails_to_reach_me
It’s time, people. It’s time.
September 7th, 2011Help Clever Commute grow. I don’t mean “a little.” I mean “a step change”
————
After almost 6 years at the helm, I have clarity on things. If we want Clever Commute to be BETTER, it HAS to be BIGGER.
I know because I see the membership and message volumes on each and every line (yes…nationwide).
Sure…we could build a cool iPhone app
Sure…we could give you dynamic re-routing of your commute when things go bad.
Sure…there are dozens of things we could do.
BUT: In all likelihood, less than 10% of the people on your line are signed up…and that’s the part that kills me (and you).
Please: Don’t you worry about “too many people” = “too much mail”. We HAVE the technology in place to manage the flow/volume.
Remember: Clever Commute grew from a network of 4 (Hi Jim, Barry, and Steve) into 20,000 because people told each other about it.
There are millions of commuters out there…and I simply won’t accept “growing well”. We need to get big. I mean REALLY big…and the time is NOW.
Want a peek into how it could be? Check out this “Clever” RSS feed from the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor line: http://clevercommute.com/rss/
The “NEC” is the largest commuter rail line in North America. Those passengers are doing a FANTASTIC job of collaborating and sharing.
But…we could easily absorb tens of thousands of new riders on that line alone.
Yes…I am energized…I am breathing fire. The Clever Commute model is proven…the technology is industrial scale and built to handle the volume.
It’s entirely possible that I will not be able to continue with the current operating model unless we collaborate to take it to the next level with a “step change”
Your financial donations help…but I need EACH and EVERY one of you to send a note to ALL of the people you know who commute.
Tell them “this works…get on-board”. Tell them “Go to www.clevercommute.com and pick ‘Find your line’”
It’s time, people. It’s time.
As the hurricane nears…
August 26th, 2011Just a quick note to be sure you know about resources available to you…
We have Clever communities for many of the NYC Subway and the PATH trains. Please sign up there…and help each other out.
We’ll be continually managing the sign-up requests. So, please feel free to sign up…and invite your fellow commuters to do the same.
(go to http://www.clevercommute.com and pick “Find Your Line”)
Also: Use these NEW ways to get your “Clever” info:
- Follow the action on Twitter…and you can then receive the alerts however you want…even text/SMS!
Go to http://www.clevercommute.com/twitter for more info
- Use our mobile app
No download! No install! Go to http://m.clevercommute.com on your iPhone, Andriod or Blackberry browser (Go ahead…try it now!)
As always: remember our “rules of the road”
The most important guideline when it comes to using Clever Commute is share information (don’t use it as a platform to ask questions).
Questions to the group are a no-no. More here – http://clevercommute.com/blog/?page_id=22