WMATA's SafeTrack program is designed to improve the safety of the Metro system, but it's also causing all kinds of aggravation. Local transportation dashboard startup TransitScreen has a plan to alleviate at least some of the hassle of SafeTrack by adding real-time updates to the delays and shutdowns on the Metro to its platform.
"We've always shown the schedule for trains, but now we're including the service alerts in real-time," TransitScreen co-founder Ryan Croft said in an interview. "And you can see the real schedule before you have to go down the escalator or swipe your Metro card."
TransitScreen uses digital screens that connect to a software platform that cities or businesses can use to help inform people about transportation options and other important information. The screens are used in public buildings, coffee shops, high-rise apartment buildings and out in the street. D.C. will be the first city to get the new real-time updates, but Croft said the plan is to roll it out to all of the cities it operates in. That's where TransitScreen will invest some of the $800,000 it recently raised.
"Small things can make commuting a lot easier," Croft said. "Reliable real-time information is important."
Croft pointed to the sometimes unreliable nature of the boards reporting the next train in the Metro, and how bad timing might make you miss hearing any announcements about delays. Providing ways to make a city run more smoothly is a major selling point, and why Croft's goal is to put TransitScreen tech in 10,000 locations across 10 countries by the end of the year.
"Just knowing if you should take a bus or a bike instead of the Metro, that's less stressful," Croft said. "You can make better choices."
