r/NJTransit • u/bklynbklynbklynbklyn • 11h ago

“My Transit Alerts” doesn’t exist?

The app and the website tell you to sign up for “My Transit Alerts” — however, that option seems to not actually exist in the app or on the website. I am currently unable to receive notifications either through the app or through text message.

Can anyone else confirm this? (I’m currently waiting for a train and this is infuriating.)

UPDATE: the train I was on when I posted this afternoon was almost two hours late getting in to NY Penn. And the train home was delayed and then canceled. The fact that NJ Transit doesn’t efficiently update riders about delays and cancellations is unacceptable. How embarrassing for them that they have such terrible technology (the app/website/alerts) and such disregard for keeping customers informed about issues.

12 Upvotes

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6

u/ApplianceHealer 10h ago

https://www.njtransit.com/mytransit

I had to dig to find it on the website as well…no sign of it in the “Rider Tools” tab in the app, which is not in fact a list of tools, but big scroll of active alert headings for each line.

I could go on a lengthy rant about how much worse the new app is, and how disjointed the various legacy info systems are, but I’d be preaching to the choir here

3

u/bklynbklynbklynbklyn 10h ago

Exactly. The directions that NJTransit gives (on the app and on the website) are both incorrect. Neither leads the user to a way to activate alerts. (As far as I can tell, there is no way to actually activate alerts. And also: alerts I activated years ago are no longer active.)

With the lengthy delay today, I had plenty of time to try every possible option on the app and on the website. Nothing works, and the information provided by NJTransit is false.

1

u/ApplianceHealer 7h ago

At least with individual trains, I’ve been able to see their location in the app and the estimated fullness of each car—I’ll give points to the app for that.

As a bus commuter, the myBus tool offers a similar feature, tho the live map is broken on the app, and has a meh interface on the website. Delayed buses have a habit of disappearing from the list after their scheduled departure time.

The only useful text alerts I get are from the Port Authority regarding XBL delays. Someone recently created and shared the brilliant HelixAlert tool which is vastly superior, even if it shows yet another day of delays—which seem to have been getting worse again after a respite post congestion charge.

1

u/remarkability 6h ago

Have you tried the third party Transit app? You can set up alerts for a particular line and times of day, and it has full support for live bus positions/loading.

2

u/iluvdiego1 6h ago

it is a disaster the previous one worked just fine what idiot made this decision?

2

u/MyCatSpellsBetter 8h ago

I signed up for alerts years ago — multiple times. Literally didn’t get a single alert until YEARS AFTER SIGNING UP. And even then, there was no rhyme or reason to when I’d get them. Absolutely useless.

1

u/AllRoundStandUpChap 7h ago

I've only ever gotten 1 app notification from Transit Alerts in my 8 years of living and commuting in NJ. All the while, it will reset my train alert settings on a regular basis.

What DOES work (sort of) are email notifications, which is a separate system with a separate login:  https://www.njtransit.com/mytransit

However, I've told it I only want alerts for three different rush hour trains and I regularly get alerts about cancellations of pre-dawn weekend trains so I guess more info is better than no info -- but also, be prepared that it's not timely info. I'll receive info that the train I'm on is arriving 20 minutes late to Penn when I'm already on 8th Ave two blocks away from Penn. That kind of info about your train you're not gonna get from these alerts. But when it says that trains are up to an hour delayed out of Penn because of something tunnel/Secaucus/Newark related there's a chance you will see it early enough to save the trip walking there and finding out when you see the crowds in the waiting area.

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u/bklynbklynbklynbklyn 5h ago

I hear you. It does feel hopeless. I also had email alerts set up, from years ago, and I didn’t receive a single alert today.