MBTA ANNOUNCES NEW & IMPROVED T-ALERTS SYSTEM TO LAUNCH IN JUNE

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced today that it will re-launch its “T-Alerts” customer notification system on June 4th as a new service built to get better information out faster and more reliably to more people.

Customers can subscribe to receive alerts through email and text messages at mbta.com. They can sign up today and will start receiving alerts from the new service on June 4th. Customers currently signed up for T-Alerts should note that they must sign up for the new service to continue to receive alerts, as the old service will be discontinued. The MBTA will send current subscribers messages to help them sign up for the new service.

The existing system, launched in 2007, has proved incredibly popular with over 50,000 current subscribers who receive an email or text message to let them know when their bus or train is running late or if there’s some other disruption to service. The MBTA’s new T-Alerts system is built around data structures that enable sharing, encouraging innovative third-party development. It uses emerging standards introduced by Google in 2011. The MBTA has become a data-sharing leader in 2009, rolling out real-time bus data directly for developers, and over 50 third-party apps use MBTA data. Developers interested in writing apps can visit developer.mbta.com to learn more.

Alerts will continue to be listed on the Service pages of mbta.com with visual enhancements made to page layout and format for clarity, ease-of-use, and reader-friendliness. Direct service advisory notifications via email and text messages will receive improvements with more reliable delivery times through the MBTA's new partnership with GovDelivery, a leader in public digital communication. Service alerts and notifications will be clearer and more detailed with additional information regarding specific trip times, service schedule changes, and distinct directional, branch, and station communications.

The MBTA operates subway, bus, commuter rail, ferry, and paratransit service in the greater Boston area and serves 1.3 million customers daily.

MBTA Contact: Kelly Smith 857-202-7715