MYmta is a

mobile application A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

-based passenger information display system developed by the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in t ...

(MTA) of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. A

beta version A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impr ...

of the app was launched on July 2, 2018, and is still undergoing

beta testing Software testing is the act of examining the artifacts and the behavior of the software under test by validation and verification. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to apprecia ...

. While other applications exist which serve similar functions, MYmta is an all-in-one source for data provided directly by the MTA.

Functionality

MYmta is intended to combine MTA functionalities that are already available in separate apps such as Subway Time, Bus Time, and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and

Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connecticut ...

Train Time applications into one all-encompassing application. The app also includes trip planning and paratransit functionalities, and will eventually include fare payment options as well. Since its launch, the app has been in the testing phase, and thus the MTA is seeking feedback from users on what functionality customers would like to see included in the application.

Live information

Similar to the MTA's Subway Time app, MYmta includes live

subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Intercontin ...

arrival times. Similarly, the app also includes live bus arrival times and map tracking with functionality similar to that found in the MTA Bus Time app.

Trip planning

Unlike previous iterations of MTA trip planners, the version included within MYmta also supports modes of transportation not operated by the MTA, such as the

Staten Island Ferry The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferr ...

NYC Ferry NYC Ferry is a public network of ferry routes in New York City operated by Hornblower Cruises. , there are six routes, as well as one seasonal route, connecting 25 ferry piers across all five boroughs. NYC Ferry has the largest passenger flee ...

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, and

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bus, ...

services. MYmta can also save users' favorite trips, stations, and stops, so information about them can be accessed quickly. The app also displays up-to-date information about delays and service changes so users can plan trips accordingly.

Paratransit and accessibility

MYmta allows paratransit users to request services through

Access-A-Ride The physical accessibility of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s public transit network, serving the New York metropolitan area, is incomplete. Although all buses are wheelchair-accessible in compliance with the Americans with Di ...

, the MTA's paratransit offering. In addition, the app reports statuses and outages of elevators and escalators in accessible stations, extending the functionality also performed by the similarly named My MTA Alerts service into application form.

Fare payment

, the app itself does not support any direct fare payment systems. However, it does link to the MTA eTix app for LIRR and Metro-North services after the user has chosen a route. Once the app leaves beta testing, though, the MTA has announced plans to combine eTix functionality into the MYmta app. In the future, the MTA also intends to add bus and subway fare payment options to the application as part of its new

OMNY OMNY ( , short for One Metro New York) is a contactless fare payment system, currently being implemented for use on public transit in the New York metropolitan area. When OMNY is completely rolled out, it will replace the MetroCard on the Ne ...

fare payment system.

History

The MTA began testing MYmta in April 2018 as a replacement for its existing suite of applications. The beta version app was released on July 2, 2018, and it was largely received positively. John Hatchett, an Access-A-Ride user, commented, "I've really felt like we've been listened to about not only what's not working but what we would like to see to make it work better." Transit journalist Jason Rabinowitz commented: "the fact that he MTAlaunched its new app with an outdated subway map is just so deliciously good that I may skip lunch today." However, the New York City Transit chief customer officer Sarah Meyer stated that this was because "updating the map would have jeopardized the launch date" of the app.

References

External links

Official site
{{New York City Subway Bus transportation in New York City Products introduced in 2018 Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Subway fare payment MTA Regional Bus Operations