MyMTA vs Transit

[Deucey]

So if you read the transit trades, you may have noticed several large agencies in the US have made it their official app - LA’s Metro, MBTA, Baltimore/MTA, St Louis, KC.

Transit uses ‘s API for Real-Time and scheduled services, but the aforementioned agencies are using it for fares as well - including LA using it with their TAP system (like we use phones with OMNY). Yet we have MyMTA.

Any ideas why in the midst of this COVID and ongoing budget situation  is still developing MyMTA instead of contracting with a third party like Transit?

[R10 2952]

I'd chalk it up to the usual combination of MTA stubbornness and incompetence.  The agency's got more silos than an Iowa grain farm.

[Deucey]

Just now, R10 2952 said:

I'd chalk it up to the usual combination of MTA stubbornness and incompetence.  The agency's got more silos than an Iowa grain farm.

IIRC, BusTime is contracted out, so it’s not a “foreign” concept.

Granted building an app is small expenditure compared to others, but if  got rid of the bus stop paper scheduled to save something like $500k/year, why not ax MyMTA to save when TPAs do everything MyMTA does and aims to do and arguably does them better?

[Lex]

7 minutes ago, Deucey said:

IIRC, BusTime is contracted out, so it’s not a “foreign” concept.

Granted building an app is small expenditure compared to others, but if  got rid of the bus stop paper scheduled to save something like $500k/year, why not ax MyMTA to save when TPAs do everything MyMTA does and aims to do and arguably does them better?

That's probably because the app is just the new website.

[trainfan22]

It's annoying af that mymta and the app used to purchase LIRR/MN tickets are separate apps. Then there's a third app called train time.

[40MntVrn]

1 hour ago, trainfan22 said:

It's annoying af that mymta and the app used to purchase LIRR/MN tickets are separate apps. Then there's a third app called train time.

The fact that MNR's recently updated train time doesn't give realtime anymore just adds insult to injury.

[Deucey]

1 hour ago, trainfan22 said:

It's annoying af that mymta and the app used to purchase LIRR/MN tickets are separate apps. Then there's a third app called train time.

 

18 minutes ago, 40MntVrn said:

The fact that MNR's recently updated train time doesn't give realtime anymore just adds insult to injury.

That’s why I like Transit - where TAs made it their official app, it lets folks prepay fare and unlimited passes, and gives real-time arrival info.

[MHV9218]

8 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

It's annoying af that mymta and the app used to purchase LIRR/MN tickets are separate apps. Then there's a third app called train time.

Yeah, at this point my old-ass phone has BusTime, TrainTime, MyMTA, MTA eTix... I lose track. 

[NewFlyer 230]

I never knew that some transit agencies use the Transit app for fare payment. That is something the MTA should do especially with OMNY replacing the metrocard. That app is awesome, there was even one point where you could pay for and unlock citi bikes with the Transit app. I forgot why they removed the feature as it made even the citi bike app obsolete. 

The MyMTA app should have been that app that replaced every other MTA app. I personally like the transit app simply because of how simple it is to use. As soon as you open the app it tracks your location and all transit options in your area. The MyMTA app forces you to press here and there to finally get information about your bus or train. The fact that your own app cannot be used to pay for train tickets is very telling on how backwards the MTA is. Once MyMTA was created, subway time, bus time, train time and MTA e-tix should have been taken off the App Store as they would be obsolete. 
 

 

[bobtehpanda]

8 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I never knew that some transit agencies use the Transit app for fare payment. That is something the MTA should do especially with OMNY replacing the metrocard. That app is awesome, there was even one point where you could pay for and unlock citi bikes with the Transit app. I forgot why they removed the feature as it made even the citi bike app obsolete. 

I think the point of OMNY is to skip the app entirely and have a bank card that goes into a standard Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

If I had to guess, I would guess it's the siloed, poorly managed MTA doing what it does. Didn't Cuomo push for these apps too?

[QM1to6Ave]

17 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Yeah, at this point my old-ass phone has BusTime, TrainTime, MyMTA, MTA eTix... I lose track. 

I have an entire row of these stupid apps on my phone, and the yall look the same with their small icons, so god forbid I can ever quickly press the correct one when I am in a rush. Half of them are barely functional at this point

[Via Garibaldi 8]

15 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I never knew that some transit agencies use the Transit app for fare payment. That is something the MTA should do especially with OMNY replacing the metrocard. That app is awesome, there was even one point where you could pay for and unlock citi bikes with the Transit app. I forgot why they removed the feature as it made even the citi bike app obsolete. 

The MyMTA app should have been that app that replaced every other MTA app. I personally like the transit app simply because of how simple it is to use. As soon as you open the app it tracks your location and all transit options in your area. The MyMTA app forces you to press here and there to finally get information about your bus or train. The fact that your own app cannot be used to pay for train tickets is very telling on how backwards the MTA is. Once MyMTA was created, subway time, bus time, train time and MTA e-tix should have been taken off the App Store as they would be obsolete. 
 

 

 

7 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

I think the point of OMNY is to skip the app entirely and have a bank card that goes into a standard Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

If I had to guess, I would guess it's the siloed, poorly managed MTA doing what it does. Didn't Cuomo push for these apps too?

 

1 hour ago, QM1to6Ave said:

I have an entire row of these stupid apps on my phone, and the yall look the same with their small icons, so god forbid I can ever quickly press the correct one when I am in a rush. Half of them are barely functional at this point

There will be an app down the line for OMNY as well, but there are already a plethora of ways to pay with OMNY... Wireless card, phone, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and so on.

[bulk88]

TPA/Transit/Google Pay probably want 25% of each ride as overhead, plus "apps" go bankrupt and disappear the moment their VC mortgage comes due. NICE Bus GoMobile epay app seems to have disappeared. Contractor probably collects a higher commission than Cubic for Metrocards. MTA's app mess is since each subsidiary did an isolated procurement for Real Time Arrivals, and E-ticketing. Atleast the apps, sort of have support contracts, Silicon Valley startups probably give the MTA/any transit agency 1 year contracts for anything, MTA demands 5 or 10 years of support. Also can a TPA demand that the RTA feed by a transit provider be made proprietary?  As in time delay of updates or paper schedule only for all other scheduling provider apps?