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Google's In-House Incubator Made a Waze-Like App For the New York City Subway (theverge.com)
Google's in-house startup incubator Area 120 has developed a new app to help New York City subway commuters avoid delays. An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: The app, called Pigeon, is live on Apple's App Store, but access is still limited to those with an invitation code. Its developers say the app can help commuters choose routes that avoid delays and crowds other users report. Google Maps and the MTA's own website already provide information on what trains aren't working. But Pigeon will also allow users to post specific comments and note annoying incidents, such as loud street performers. It sounds more like a social media app for New Yorkers to commiserate on their miserable commutes.
After you download Pigeon, it'll prompt you to allow location services multiple times. Once inside the app, there are cute pigeons all over the subway map, but tapping on them right away doesn't seem to do anything. The app's functionality is extremely reliant on what people report (hence the large purple Report button at the bottom of the screen). Pigeon's traffic reports sound just like Google's Waze app but exclusively for the New York subway system.
After you download Pigeon, it'll prompt you to allow location services multiple times. Once inside the app, there are cute pigeons all over the subway map, but tapping on them right away doesn't seem to do anything. The app's functionality is extremely reliant on what people report (hence the large purple Report button at the bottom of the screen). Pigeon's traffic reports sound just like Google's Waze app but exclusively for the New York subway system.
The paid version includes the locations of muggers and hookers.
Quick, post something meaningful which will just be ignored since nobody can see it or reply for another 6 hours...
Really uninteresting pile of bullshit made by medieval knight shot by a pike.
Almost all the time there will not be any useful alternatives to get to your destination. If you are already on the subway there is most likely no quicker alternative. If you check the app before you travel and you happen to be somewhere where there are multiple lines it might be useful but if the delay happens after you start you are probably stuck.
Also, my experience is that when you discover you're in a slowdown in the subway, you're probably between stations which do not have the best cell phone reception so reporting the slowdown may be difficult.
Just avoid the Lexington Ave 4,5,6 during rush hour, you don't even need an app for that. Unfortunately there are no alternative on the east side, so for this app to be useful you gonna have to be on the west.
works great underground!
Almost all the time there will not be any useful alternatives to get to your destination.
That's not really true. There are some instances where there isn't any viable alternative. It's not that unusual that there's an alternate subway or bus route that will take you to the same approximate location. If a train is going to take long enough, sometimes it even makes more sense to walk than to wait.
”After you download Pigeon, it'll prompt you to allow location services multiple times.”
How does that work in the subway?
#DeleteChrome
With a history of actual travel times and delays the app probably does an "educated guess" ie predictive analytics to find the best combo of bus/subway/walking to get to your destination. When I was in high school I had about 4 choices for each direction, each taking about 45 minutes without delays or outages; this app would have been useful.
The app sounds more like Moovit, which is used to route through public transportation (generally buses and trains), than Waze. Are New Yorkers driving their cars in the subway now?
It seems Google really has run out of innovation. I guess they will just have to forget this dull "making products" stuff, and double down on their main plan: Making an evil AI to wipe out mankind.
Not really, well-connected public transit systems often have multiple ways to get to the same destination. Heck, there are plenty of popular YouTube videos that take the challenge of going between two subway stations by getting off on one, running to the other, and boarding the same train.
And often the place I'm going to is between stations, so it's a tossup to which station I should get off at and walking. This app could easily tell you which way is better (we got into an argument at work over this - there were two stations you could stop at and which was better to use).
And often times, there are multiple routes you can take, so if one is a bit slower, it can be better to take the alternative.
In places with barely a public transit system, yes, it's too constrained and alternatives are generally terrible. But if you have a well connected system, often the optimal path is something highly debated amongst travellers.
That google has an inhouse incubator, I bet he handles all the contracts and desires of the employees.
And make em dress like magical girls to fight off witches from time to time.
Check out the Q (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(New_York_City_Subway_service)).
This will be useful for me and folks like me. I don't live near the city, but do visit from time to time, often on weekends when there are planned service disruptions in addition to the countless unplanned disruptions and delays that I'm told happen 24/7/365. I have very basic familiarity with the subways, but not enough to know the best ways around them. But I'm also not going to try to drive or park in Manhattan, nor do I have the bus routes memorized, nor do I wish to walk with my kids at night through Flatbush or East New York if my branch of the A train goes missing for no obvious reason.
Nonaggression works!
No alternatives except for walking, biking, bus, taxi, Lyft...
Whx metro? To create a diversion?