Roadify, A Park Slope Based Company, Releases New Version of its iPhone App

Tired of missing the train? Do you feel blind as you walk to the subway to get to work, hoping your ride doesn't leave without you? 

Now, with the newest version of Roadify, a free iPhone app created by two Park Slope residents, aggregates official subway, train, bus and ferry schedules, planned service changes and service interruptions that will give you more accurate up-to-the-second information that will help make your commute easier.

Roadify 2.0, which was released a couple of weeks ago, is a complete re-launch and extended service throughout the entire Tri-State Area, Seattle, San Francisco and the Bay Area, now allows users to add comments about anything from an accident, slow service or even a spotting of unusual subterranean characters. It has also tied in Twitter and Facebook comments with hash tags of the mode of transportation you searched for.

“We created a platform for the community to communicate with each other, the MTA and other public transportation agencies,” said Scott Kolber, the chief operating officer of Roadify who has lived in Park Slope for 20 years. “It’s the power of riders to alert each other and the agencies with up-to-the-second information.”

For example, when I searched for the Q train it gave me the time it left Coney Island and when it was scheduled to arrive at the Seventh Avenue station in Park Slope and when it will arrive to my destination.

Under the arrival times it has a comment section where users can submit a comment. It also pulls comments from Twitter that were hash tagged with that particular subway line, train, bus or ferry.

“This becomes a way for people who aren’t on Twitter to benefit from it,” Kolber told Patch during a phone interview. “It’ll be interesting to see how this evolves.”

If you submit a comment, by pressing the “+” sign in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, it will automatically be posted on your Twitter and Facebook account.

Kolber and Nick Nyhan, the founder and chief investor, created Roadify in the end of 2010 right here in Park Slope. However, the first version only catered to the neighborhood. 

Then in early 2011, it expanded to every neighborhood of the five boroughs. Now, with version 2.0, it extended service to Seattle, San Francisco and the entire Bay Area. By 2013, Kolber said, they hope to launch a new app that serves commuters in Europe and Asia.    

Unfortunately, the MTA only installed Real-Time, a GPS tracking service, on buses in Staten Island and the B63 that runs through Park Slope. But by the end of 2013, all buses will have Real-Time.

In 2011, Roadify won the New York City BigApps grand prize, which awarded them $13,000.

While using Roadify on Friday, it said a downtown Q train would arrive at 1:34 p.m. However, the train came at 1:39 p.m. But looking through the comments before I entered the station, I read a comment from a user named KujKujKuj that read, “#qtrain running slow.”

Then on my way back home, the app said the Q train would leave Canal Street at 3:06 p.m., but it arrived at 3:09 p.m. And again, looking through the comments I saw more people complaining how the Q was “running late”.

There are many factors that can affect the app’s accuracy. “Roadify is only as good as the data provided,” Kolber said.

But with the new version’s tie with Twitter comments, it has become more on point.

With this kind of accurate information, you are likely not to miss a train again. This app can save you time and even let you know you are able to run and grab that needed cup of coffee you weren’t able to drink at home, without missing your train to work, school, appointment or date.

“Over the past month, Roadify has saved me one to two hours,” Kobler said, explaining that his app helps ease the “daily pain” commuters suffer everyday. “It’s little stuff like knowing you won’t be late to work that makes a big difference.”

To download the free Roadify app for your iPhone, click here.