One App To Rule Them All: MTA Tests New All-In-One Mobile App

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The MTA has unveiled a new all-in-one mobile app for trip planning and service information that might just let you free up some space on your phone.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said its new MTA app is available for download. The app is still in Beta testing, but will eventually succeed the MYmta app. The new app has schedules and service alerts for subways, buses, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad all in one place.

Users in need of special accommodations can also book Access-A-Ride trips and see elevator and escalator outages at stations throughout the subway system.

"If we want more customers to use public transit, providing travel tools that are easy and intuitive is key," MTA Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said, announcing the new technology. "The new MTA app accomplishes just that, connecting riders to the information they need in one or two taps."

New features in the Beta version of the new MTA app include:

• Plan a trip to see recommended routes and check schedules for subways, buses, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, PATH and AirTrain.
• Get service alerts and see planned and unplanned service changes and best ways to get around.
• Save favorite routes and stops for quick viewing of arrival times.
• Live bus tracking to see where a bus is located that is approaching a stop, check when it will arrive, and follow it throughout its trip, including instant information on how many stops and minutes away a bus is.
• Real-time on-board crowding for railroads.
• Book Access-A-Ride trips, find pick-up and drop-off times for trips, and view trip history.
• Improved search making it easier to see which search results are MTA stations and the services offered there at a glance.
• Dynamic strip maps and station views indicating the service that is running at any given time.

The app will replace MYmta when it becomes available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store later this year. Riders who want to wait for the official release will not need to download a new app as it will automatically update on a mobile device if MYmta is already installed.

Commuters in the Hudson Valley can sign up for access to the app here.