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Clever Commute makes the morning drag a bit brighter

Posted by Joe on October 8, 2007

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We don’t know about you, but we hate the morning commute. There’s a certain pressure to be at work on time, and sometimes delays are out of your control. It really bothers us, though, when at 8:30 they’re cleaning up an accident that happened an hour ago. Had we heard news of it at that point, we could have taken the train instead of the bus for the day. Alas, in our world of nearly instantaneous communication, we have no such service. Clever Commute is looking to change that, though.

Their service is simple. Riders of major transit lines sign up, and then provide each other with updates on delays and other inconveniences. They can even put in notices of lost items. You might not find the black umbrella you left on the bus last Tuesday, but at least you have a better chance this way.

That wisdom is parceled out in distinct bits. Take Tuesday morning on the Morris and Essex line, when a train got entangled in the overhead wires west of Summit at 7:15. New Jersey Transit sent out its first message at 7:27 saying that service was temporarily suspended and that customers should seek other transportation.

At 7:38, one Clever Commute user said that New Jersey Transit was reporting that trains on the line were running 10 to 15 minutes late. “Can Clever Commuters validate or enhance this info?” the rider asked.

At 8:21, another rider said the 8:22 express from South Orange had been canceled. “Make room for us on the local!!! :-)” the rider chirped. Presumably seeking a faster way to New York, another rider asked a few minutes later whether the Northeast Corridor line running through Newark was also delayed.

Basically, this is an all-win situation where everyone can plan accordingly and not have to wait around aimlessly for a ride. We’re signing up as we type this.

[New York Times] [Clever Commute]