A New, More Powerful Mass Transit App

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The Rolling Storm Media Group has begun releasing Mass Transit Apps.

They started with the DC Metro Region with MetroMinder.

What is great about their app is that it doesn’t just tell you how long it will take to get from point A to point B, it tells you what is going on in between.

I use a competitor non-official app that is pretty accurate, but when it tells me it will take an extra 30 minutes to get home, it doesn’t tell me why.  This one does.

From their website:

MetroMinder’s flagship release (MetroMinder DC) supports theWashington, DC Metro Rail system (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority – WMATA). MetroMinder DC lets users track trips in real-time, better plan commutes, and visually monitor the performance of the DC Metro System (using MetroMinder “HeatMaps“). 

MetroMinder has also been adapted to support the university trolley system at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina (HPU Trolley)and is being expanded/adapted to support various other transit systems. 

MetroMinder DC tracks every active passenger train on the DC Metro system using raw data from WMATA’s open API data source.  MetroMinder uses this and other derived data to organize and present information to better optimize and plan their commute.

Not Just Another Metro App – Unlike many currently available metro apps (that simply re-display data from the WMATA web site or API), MetroMinder actively collects, derives, and displays unique data that is critical for regular Metro Rail riders

This product is available on Apple and Android.

The app also lists when elevators or escalators are out.  It also reminds you when you are supposed to get off the train in case you get distracted by Twitter.  (This is a downside of having cell service in the DC tunnels!)

You can also look at all trains on their way to a station.  This is great if you are trying to figure out when to leave.

 

The graphics aren’t as flashy as other metro apps I’ve used, but the power is there.

These apps are free.  From the reviews, the Apple one works better than the Android, but the Android was recently updated.  I have it downloaded on my iPad and just installed it on my Android.  I haven’t taken this version for an official whirl yet, but it was working just fine when I played around with it.