MTA no longer sharing service updates on Twitter

MTA ends Twitter alerts, says it's unreliable

New York City's Metropolitan Transit Agency, which for 13 years has provided real-time information on subway, train and bus service outages, delays and other important updates for its 1.3 million followers, will stop using Twitter for such alerts.

NEW YORK - The MTA, which for 13 years has provided real-time information on service outages, delays and other important transit updates for its 1.3 million followers, will no longer do so.

"For the MTA, Twitter is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect," the MTA said in a tweet Thursday evening. "So as of today, we’re saying goodbye to it for service alerts and information."

The announcement comes after the agency claims its access to the social media platform was involuntarily interrupted twice in the last two weeks.

"The MTA does not pay tech platforms to publish service information and has built redundant tools that provide service alerts in real time," MTA Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said in a statement. "The MTA has terminated posting service information to Twitter, effective immediately, as the reliability of the platform can no longer be guaranteed."

Riders looking to get real-time updates are encouraged to visit mta.info, use the MYmta & TrainTime apps, sign up for email & SMS alerts and via several other methods.

Twitter has long been a way for people to keep track of train delays, news and weather alerts or the latest crime warnings from their local police department.

But when the Elon Musk-owned platform started stripping blue verification check marks this month from accounts that don’t pay a monthly fee, it left public agencies and other organizations around the world scrambling to figure out a way to show they’re trustworthy and avoid impersonators.

New York City's government Twitter account, for instance, pinned a tweet to its profile telling users that it is an "authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government."

While Twitter is now offering gold checks for "verified organizations" and gray checks for government organizations and their affiliates, the former come at a cost too steep to justify for many agencies.

The MTA's affiliate Twitter accounts, such as the @NYCTSubway account that replied to passengers, will also stop providing real-time alerts, but encouraged riders to find other ways to get in touch, such as through WhatsApp.

With the Associated Press.