Home MTA Technology MTA AppQuest voting opens with 42 submissions

MTA AppQuest voting opens with 42 submissions

by Benjamin Kabak

Nearly five months after first announcing the MTA AppQuest challenge and after a few unavoidable delays, a group of new transit apps are ready to face the public. The authority announced last week that, after two delays in the submission date, they received 42 submissions for their app contest, and public judging is now open at MTAAppQuest.com.

“We’re thrilled at the partnership that has developed with the tech community to bring new innovations to our riders at no cost to the MTA,” the authority’s Executive Director Joseph said in a statement. “We’ve got a great crop of apps and we can’t wait to see which ones the public likes best.”

Public voting will be open through January 11, and the MTA and ChallengePost will award two winners. The winner of the public voting will take home $2000 while the runner-up will earn $1000. The MTA is not contributed financially to the prize money.

In addition to the public voting, a group of judges –including me — will also evaluate the apps. Joining me on the panel will be the following:

  • Jen Chung, Executive Editor, Gothamist, and Co-Founder, Gothamist LLC
  • Jeff Ferzoco, Creative and Technology Director, Regional Plan Association
  • Cas Holloway, Deputy Mayor for Operations, City of New York
  • Mark Gorton, Founder and Chairman, OpenPlans and Founder, Tower Research Capital LLC
  • Wael Hibri, Chief Enterprise Information Officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • Noel Hidalgo, Director of Engagement Technologies, World Economic Forum
  • Lawrence Levy, Executive Dean, National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University
  • Rachel Sterne, Chief Digital Officer, City of New York

The winners of that contest will take home $5000 with second and third place worth $3000 and $1500 respectively. I haven’t yet had the time to explore all of the offerings yet, but right now, City Maps and NYC Station Finder are in the lead. The MTA, meanwhile, is profiling each app on its Facebook page.

With 42 submissions, the contest has seemingly been a success for the authority as it looks to outsource its app process to developers with the skill and wherewithal to create these on-the-go resources. The challenge, though, was not without hiccups. Originally slated to end in September, the MTA had to push back the submission date twice to both prepare more data for developers and all coders more time to complete their submissions. Furthermore, as Transportation Nation notes, the biggest possible data dump — an API that ties into the system’s new countdown clocks — isn’t yet available. Such a move could truly revolutionize commuting patterns.

I’ll try to have more on these apps over the next few weeks. In the meantime, head on over to the AppQuest homepage and vote for your favorites.

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9 comments

Brian December 5, 2011 - 3:51 pm

i like Itrans

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The Cobalt Devil December 5, 2011 - 4:10 pm

Any idea if they’re working on a “Clean The Piss Smell Off The Platform” app? Because I’d really like to ride the subway and not have to smell piss any more. Hopped on the Nostalgia Holiday Train at the IND Second Ave station this weekend, and man did I get a whiff o’ piss. Absolutely disgusting.

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VLM December 5, 2011 - 4:15 pm

What exactly does that have to do with an app development contest on which the MTA expended exactly zero resources besides having one employee prepare data?

Plus, that 2nd Ave. station has smelled like a toilet for eons. Get the cops to clear out the, uh, permanent residents, and the odor would likely improve.

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The Cobalt Devil December 5, 2011 - 4:32 pm

Maybe I’m just tired of subway stations smelling like piss? Is that an unreasonable idea? Just because it smells like piss for decades don’t make it right.

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Scott E December 5, 2011 - 5:16 pm

Unless the “build the best transit app” contest is just a pilot program to get the public involved in an upcoming “clean the most platform piss” competition, I think you’re out of luck. Sorry.

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Kai B December 6, 2011 - 11:55 am

Now wait – an app could report this to a central database that the police or MTA could review and act upon.

Anon December 5, 2011 - 5:44 pm

although I have not read the fine print of this contest I would be *extremely* careful with these folks at the MTA who run “contests.”
I would not be surprise to see ideas rejected and assimilated like the “Borg” Perhaps one example I can think of was when someone from NYCT went to a Board meeting (maybe it was 2 years ago) with an idea during the public speaking session for essentially what has become the “On The Go! touch” screens being rolled out. Granted the original ideas proposed was not touch screen and involved a printout but it is a strikingly similar idea. And did this employee get credit (whetvere “credit” might be) for proposing this idea –betcha he didn’t.

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Eddie Jabbour December 5, 2011 - 5:46 pm

oh oh – is it too late to enter the KickMap?

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Joe December 5, 2011 - 7:23 pm

Why doesn’t the MTA have open data for their real-time arrival system on the A division, (L), and capable bus routes? Such a no-brainer.

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