New App YoTrain! Will Let You Know if You’re About to Miss the Subway
There’s that moment of panic when you’re running late to an important meeting or event and you can’t decide whether to chance it and try to get on the train or just hop in the next cab you see. A new app called YoTrain! will alleviate this anxiety, alerting users within 200 feet of a subway station when the next train is coming. What’s better is that the information comes in the form of a text and voice alert even if your phone is locked, so you don’t have to be a cell phone zombie walking down the street.
Think this is a genius idea? You’re not alone. YoTrain!, created by Brooklyn-based tech developer Duong Nguyen, won a $10,000 grand prize in the MTA and AT&T’s App Quest Challenge, an annual call for transportation-related apps for New Yorkers using MTA data.
According to the New York Business Journal, Nguyen came up with the idea when he was “rushing to the Bergen Street subway station during a snowstorm a few months back and almost fell into the street as he checked his phone for train times and frantically considered a surface alternative.” His winning creation took the prize in a category meant to help travelers with disabilities. In order to make the app fully functional, scheduled stop information needs to become available at all stations, as some lack real-time data feeds now.
The runner-up prize of $7,500 went to NYC Accessible, which provides real-time updates about elevators, escalators, and special services available along the subway lines. You can see all the winners here.
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[Via NY Business Journal]
