Seven years ago, Josh Crandall came up with an idea to give commuters a less stressful journey by establishing a service that let them inform each other about problems with their train or bus lines. That idea blossomed into Clever Commute and the rest, they say, is history.
But Crandall continues to update the service. Last year, he launched The Inside Track, a premium, subscription-based service that gave riders more detailed information about their commutes, such as releasing track number information before it was announced at Penn Station.
That particular feature, however, landed him in a scuffle with New Jersey Transit, who said they were getting complaints from customers who said they were being told the wrong track numbers (Crandall says he got the track numbers directly from the New Jersey Transit data feed).
Crandall has to do away with the advanced track number announcements, but he is now relaunching The Inside Track with more new features.
“The content is a lot better,” he tells Baristanet. “Commuters now have more options on how to consume data.”
For example, they can receive information by email (under the premium service, the emails are delivered faster), by text, or by browsing on a mobile website. Inside Track subscribers can also opt to have the service turned off during the day, while they are at work, or during vacation. And a “Gridlock Alert” would alert subscribers to delays due to breakdowns or a basketball game at Madison Square Garden–or a storm like the one expected today.
He is also bringing the track numbers back–though not in the way it was done previously. The track number will instead get sent to commuters after it’s been announced at Penn Station.
“This is valuable information if the train departs late,” Crandall says. “It may still be sitting on the track even if the number has been removed from the board.”
A full list of The Inside Track’s features can be viewed here.
Crandall, a technology consultant, puts together his information from commuter feedback, New Jersey Transit data, history and algorithms (you might call him the Nate Silver of commuter transit).
“It’s a pleasant challenge,” he says. “And the service really has something for everyone.”
