MTA Makes Room For Techies: Apps We Want To See

The MTA recently announced that they would host a contest for technological heads around the city to come up with the best apps that would ultimately serve the MTA and New Yorkers in general. They will offer $15,000 in prizes to creators of the most useful programs. Here's some ideas and issues that the upcoming apps need to address.

It would be plain as day to see that MTA officials are less than tech-savvy so hosting a contest for this purpose is a great idea. By corralling techies from around the city that actually ride the subway, they can create or attempt to create the best apps to service the daily MTA rider.

Here's Some IDEAS & Issues They NEED To Tackle:

They need to create a clearer and quicker method of informing passengers if a train or bus miraculously decides not to run on a certain track at a certain time of night. The white signs with color-coded writing that's usually plastered across one side of the large subway map is highly ineffective. Riders usually bother to look at it too late in their late situations.

Sometimes you forget to add money to your Metrocard at the right time, the card machines are on blasted "No Bill" or would just like things to be extra convenient for you. There should be a way to retrieve Metrocard information straight to your mobile devices. An app where you log-on and can check your card's current balance and add funds to it on the go.

Would it not be funny if there was an app that told you if your friend(s) were on the same train or station? Maybe or maybe not depending on who you call your friends. But I feel like an app like that is coming soon regardless.

If there existed an app with the ability to notify passengers of their trains amount of daily break-downs, delays and signal changes that would be great. Instead of said passengers counting every time their train stopped while sitting on the train underground.

What happens when that sketchy guy sitting in front of you flashes you his business? Being that nothing surprises anyone in New York City anymore, most people will still just sit there on the train and allow the madness to unfold. Which leaves you to wait until the next stop to report it, if there's a police officer around. What about an app that allows you to capture offenders and almost similar to twitter, you can instantly send the photo to the MTA and the cops [if present] at the next station that you arrive at would be notified. How about that?

And finally an app to stop them from continually raising the MTA fare.

Oh if life were only this "fare" and easy.