NYC transit agency pulls the brake on Twitter service alerts

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FILE – The Twitter icon is displayed on the smartphone in Marple Township (Pa.), Feb. 28, 2023. Transit authority in New York City, which runs subways and commuter trains as well as buses, has given up on an automated system that sends alerts via Twitter about service disruptions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to stop using Twitter as a service alert system on Thursday, April 27, 2019.

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FILE – A subway approaching an above-ground station in Brooklyn, New York. The New York City skyline is in the background. June 21, 2017. Transit authority in New York City that operates subways, commuter train and bus services is abandoning a system which sent automated alerts on Twitter about service disruptions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to stop using Twitter as a service alert system on Thursday, April 27th 2023.

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FILE – Passengers leave the Astoria - Ditmars Boulevard Subway Station in Queens, New York on August 13, 2021. Transit authority in New York City that operates subways, commuter train and bus services is abandoning a system which sent automated alerts on service disruptions via Twitter. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to stop using Twitter as a service alert system on Thursday, April 27th 2023.

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NEW YORK, NY (AP) - Shortly after midnight on Thursday night, emergency crews tended a person found lying on the tracks of lower Manhattan.

A customer service agent at the rail control center of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority typed a simple warning to early morning riders about taking alternate routes.

The alert was posted quickly on the MTA website and app but never reached the 1 million Twitter followers of the subway system. Officials soon discovered that Twitter had suspended the agency's ability to access the platform's back end without prior warning.

The MTA reacted quickly to this second failure in just two weeks. Senior executives decided to stop publishing all service alerts on the platform by Thursday afternoon.

This decision puts the largest transportation network in the United States among an increasing number of accounts - from National Public Radio and Elton John - who have either reduced their Twitter presence, or quit the platform, since Elon Musk took over.

The MTA and other transit agencies were also unaware of the move.

The train schedule is never right. Brandon Gubitosa of Queens, who says he checks the MTA Twitter feed for service alerts before leaving each morning, said that it is convenient to have all the answers in one place. Twitter should take some responsibility to ensure that this service does not disappear.

Twitter, for its part has hinted that the days when private accounts were able to disseminate troves and troves information without charge may be coming to an end. Last month, Twitter announced a new pricing structure that will charge users for access to the application programming interface (API), which is used by accounts who post alerts frequently, like transit agencies and weather agencies.

MTA officials estimate that the monthly cost could be as high as $50,000. This amount is too high for a transit agency with a multi-billion-dollar deficit.

Shanifah Rierea, acting chief customer officer for the MTA, said that 'the amount being posed is enormous'. We are committed to bringing back ridership. 'We shouldn't be paying for service alerts.

Twitter warned that those who refuse to pay will see their service "depreciate," a process some agencies claim is already in progress.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit System announced on Friday that its alerts would be temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. A spokesperson stated they hoped the problem would be resolved soon. Chicago Transit Authority's spokesperson confirmed that they are considering the end of alerts due to Twitter's "diminished" effectiveness in providing real-time information.

MTA officials cited other reasons to leave Twitter besides the price, such as the increased vitriol, and the shift away from chronological timeline. The MTA also cited a desire for customers to use their own products such as the MYmta app and TrainTime. The apps provide information on the commuter rail and subway systems.

Twitter's Communications office received a request for comments. Twitter's response was an automated message.

Musk's efforts to make Twitter profitable have led to many institutional users of Twitter rethinking their use. Musk, for example, has asked users to pay to verify their identity.

The service alerts can be a valuable tool on New York City’s vast rail and bus network, where mechanical issues, track fires and repair work, and other issues, may cause trains to be delayed or diverted onto lines they would not normally run.

In the past, subway riders would not be informed of changes until they reached the platform, when transit workers would announce them through a scratchy speaker or display paper signs.

Information about the service, such as the location of subway cars in real time, is now available via a variety electronic sources. This includes both smartphones and stations. According to consumer research, subway riders who seek information via Twitter are a small group.

According to a spokesperson for the authority, last month, nearly 2 million people used the MTA apps and 3 million visited the homepage of the MTA.

The MTA uses Twitter to respond to riders' questions and concerns in real time. This back-and forth helps to soothe the nerves of many riders.

Rachael Fauss, senior policy advisor for the watchdog group Reinvent Albany, said that the MTA sent out 21,000 tweets last month. These responses provided a window to the public into its customer service policies.

Fauss noted that the personalization was very interesting. There's a chance to see how MTA responds riders, which you can't do without Twitter.

The agency has said that it will continue to respond to Twitter users for the time being. Officials acknowledged that there was no guarantee this would continue to be the case in the long-term.

Rieara said, 'The MTA is blamed for many things. We need to find a reliable and resilient way of communicating.' We can't let our customers guess whether they are getting the latest information in (Twitter)'s current state.