This man is on the right track.
New York City commuters are familiar with the anxiety-inducing moment when a train is called at Penn Station just minutes before departure — when otherwise civilized commuters are blown away like elephants. This is a time when people often flock to the home.
Joshua Crandall, a longtime New Jersey transit sufferer, is tired of feeling the pent-up energy of his stressed-out fellow rail passengers and the inevitable trampling or trampling that ensues. Either that or I was tired of the chaotic rush.
So the 59-year-old Montclair resident took matters into his own tech-savvy hands. He designed an algorithm that accurately predicted which tracks the often unreliable New Jersey Transit Authority and Long Island Rail Road trains would depart on, well in advance of the announcement.
“This isn't just magic. It's a way to beat the crowd,” said Crandall, who works as a financial engineer in Manhattan by day.Designed as a cheat code to escape from Gotham's least-loved transportation hub spoke to the Post about smart commuting apps. In your sanity.
The 30-year commuter, who is not affiliated with NJT, LIRR or Amtrak, explained that he founded Clever Commute after a particularly bad ride home in the 2000s. After he “created technology that captures departure signs,” the app can now “instantly tell you which tracks this train has been running on for the past 60 days.”
“It's information that a lot of people don't have on hand,” he said of Pocket Predictor, which offers premium service for a $50 annual subscription. There is also 9 ways to get it for free — Crandall said her main focus is helping others.
The clever codebreaker started by sharing tons of know-how via email and eventually created the first version of the app in 2015. Until recently, his expertise was utilized in relatively small circles.
And at a time when a return to the office has become almost a given, weeks after the New Jersey Transit Authority's historic cancellation and debacle in Penn earlier this summer, transit experts say: Said. I posted a promotion for my product on social media.
The immediate response was “overwhelming,” he said.
How does it work?
“Transit agencies will say routes will be announced 10 minutes in advance, but spoiler alert, that's not the case,” Crandall explained.
Standing until the last minute before departure is inevitable, but Clever Commute is designed to help you avoid it.
To do so, the app's algorithm draws from two months of track history and uses what Return Home Wizard called proprietary technology that assigns a “level of probability” to a particular track.
The app not only provides average wait times based on historical data, but also ranks track numbers in order of likelihood, as well as providing graphs and pie charts for enthusiasts interested in inside information. I will.
But Crandall said this is primarily a tool designed to get you to the top of the right stairs at the right time, ahead of the rush, and not a green light to jump the starting gun all the way. I warned.
That's because the app doesn't always get it right, he said, and getting off at the wrong platform too early could mean missing your train.
However, if you wait until the top, you will almost always have an advantage. Even if Clever Commute can't pinpoint its location 100% of the time, it's almost always nearby, transportation experts claimed.
“Even if the app calls 17 and the truck says 18, you’re still in the best spot,” Crandall said.
The app also works with the LIRR at Metro-North and Grand Central Terminal, where similar last-minute boarding announcements are rarely made.
Crandall said Penn Station's unique crunch time is caused by Amtrak's track ownership and the national transit agency's “decision-making” powers.
Last Thursday night, he was spotted waiting at Penn Station during the evening rush hour — standing in the right spot, of course.
He used that time to help a confused bystander, Brad Schumann, who was waiting for the 6:47 p.m. He was excited about Crandall's accurate track 7 call.
“They're like animals out there to know where you're going and, more importantly, to beat this crowd. I want to use this every day. Schumann told the Post.
Last Tuesday, Crandall was at it again, helping commuter Walter Reyes. Reyes said exactly what any stressed-out commuter would think: “That will help.”
And even if there were no dice, commuters would still rather love and lose.
“It was at least interesting to try it out,” William Whitehead said after the app went off the rails on a night when several trains were stuck in traffic and waiting.
And when an app was released to train traveler Eliana Bass, she and her friends went slack-jawed.
By chance, the second time I correctly called track 7, the bass screamed “Magic!”
Commandments for good commuting
Crandall, who has called Penn Station his second home for 30 years, knows every nook and cranny and has witnessed every imaginable human action.
Here are some of his tips for a less painful commute.
- There are no bonus points for arriving at Penn Station early. Trains rarely arrive ahead of schedule. Kill your time somewhere that isn't too bad.
- There is easy online resources To better understand the complex maze structure of the pen. Use it to find a route with less traffic to your destination.
- The front seats on the train are usually the most empty. Also, if you have a quiet car, choose it and respect the golden rule.
- Dehydration can increase irritability, so bring noise-reducing headphones and bring water as well.
- Dress in layers in case it gets unseasonably hot or cold on the train. I don't know which one it will be.
- Use pen alternatives if possible. For NJT, fly PATH to Hoboken's historic New Jersey Transit terminal, and for LIRR, choose Grand Central or Atlantic terminals.
