For the sake of transparency, I have a professional connection to Joe Brunelle, creator of HowFuckedistheT.com. Specifically, he has done ample development and design for each of my websites and is a generally stand-up guy… despite his tendency toward DNS vulgarity. I am also impressed with his hacker ethic and forthrightness that his site was inspired by the Bay Area’s own howfuckedismuni.com. Not only did Mr. Brunelle steal a great, disruptive idea, he cited his source to the press. Kudos. But what’s next?
Next Problem: Now that HowFuckedistheT is becoming popular, it’s time to increase its effectiveness at tracking our precious yet pilloried public transportation routes. However, the MBTA does not publish realtime data on other lines like the Commuter Rail and Green Line. And, according to T representatives, that’s going to take a few years. As a result, we need another reliable way to track movement of those lines.
Potential Solutions: One hacker alone cannot solve this problem. Therefore, we need to crowdsource a solution. The way I see it, there are two options:
Option One: Enlist a few intrepid MIT students or local hackers to install their own sensors along each route to track train traffic. Given that this solution is technically difficult and likely not to be appreciated by MBTA officials, it simultaneously represents the best and worst solution.
Option Two: Since the Green Line and Commuter Rail are primarily above ground (or at least that’s where most of the problems seem to happen), Mr. Brunelle’s site could begin to gather information from the crowd of riders - or idlers as the case may be - with smart phones. Hell, we already know the drivers themselves are texting, so someone ought to be able to tweet the arrival of a train at any given stop. The more riders, the more likely someone will share, making sure the data is flowing during peak hours.
What’s next?
After the T, why not extend the idea to local busses, Greyhound, and even Amtrak. Crowds of people check into their destinations every day through Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook. It’s time for us to realize the journey is also a destination and each stop along the way is a bit of information that could help others chart their own paths. If you or anyone you know can help with this, reach out to Joey Brunelle and make realtime public transit tracking a reality for all of us.
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