about 10 years ago
Ideas & Tips
Thanks for supporting the MTA AT&T App Quest! As you work on your apps, remember who you're developing for — 8.5 million commuters who travel by subway, bus, train, and via bridges and tunnels. Consider the needs of people on the go; people with varying accessibility needs; people who may take one or more modes of transportation; people who have to make a connection to another flight, boat, or transit system; etc.
How can you best improve their travel experience? What does the transit app of the future look like?
Mash it up
In addition to the requirement of using at least one MTA dataset or API in your app, you are encouraged to incorporate other data sets and APIs. Here are a couple of links to get you started. If you know of other data or APIs that we should include, please email us.
MTA wish list
The MTA has outlined a list of opportunity areas that new apps could address. Apps that address one of the wish list opportunity areas will be eligible to win the Best MTA Wish List App prize. Apps that don't address the identified opportunity areas are still eligible for the Best Overall, Honorable Mention, Large Organization, and Popular Choice Awards.
Additional app ideas
- Apps and sites that integrate MTA-based transit information with other transit needs of its ridership, particularly in the areas of paratransit (people with disabilities) and transportation alternatives such as the NYC Bike Share program.
- Customer-facing applications that empower specific disability groups as valued members of the MTA ridership (e.g. verbal instruction applications for station way-finding).
- Applications that address specific operational challenges within the MTA, such as the integration of MTA public reporting into public-facing, interactive sites.
And finally, remember that these are just tips, not requirements! It’s great to keep all of these ideas in mind, but we don’t expect all needs to be met in one app. There are many possible solutions, and one size won’t fit all.
Questions?
Didn't find what you were looking for in Frequently Asked Questions? We're here to help! Email support@challengepost.com with "MTA App Quest" in the subject line, and we'll respond as soon as we can.
#AppQuest
Join the conversation with #AppQuest on Twitter, and help spread the word by sharing this with a software developer, UX/designer, or transit hacker you know.