Don't you hate it when people do this

MBTA Riders Use Social Media to Urge Improvements on T

More and more T riders have turned to social media in an attempt to urge MBTA officials to improve the customer experience. Here are some people who are tweeting all kinds of Boston commuter-relevant information on Twitter:

@D-MoveBoston (rants)

@mbtainfo (real-time arrival info)

@MBTARules (un-official rules)

@mbtaa-holes (rants and raves)

HopStop

HopStop App provides door-to-door subway and bus directions and maps for several major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Chicago, London, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. In addition to its website, HopStop also has free iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows 7 apps, and also provides directions by text message

FEATURES : 

HopStop.com provides free customized public transit directions, as well as other related features and information relevant to public transit.

HopStop.com currently provides directions in 62 metropolitan areas in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Users can get step-by-step public transit, walking, taxi, biking, and hourly car rental directions based on the travel options selected (departure time, transportation mode, more walking vs. more transfers, etc.). The Maps tab allows users to find subway or bus stops near an address.

HopStop also calculates calories burned and per passenger carbon emissions savings for each transit route.

The City Guide helps users find attractions, bars, restaurants, hotels, shopping areas, and other businesses. The Community tab offers users the ability to plan a trip with multiple destinations, including City Guide listings and custom locations.

All the features available on the website can also be accessed through free iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows 7 apps, a mobile site, and by text message.

You can download the app: 

 for iphone here: HopStop

for Android here:HotStop

The true cost of commuting

With all the commuting back and forth from work and school have you ever wondered how much it cost you every year? Here is a fun fact sheet to help solve that mystery!

Helpful Tips and Information for Holiday Weekend Travel

When planning your trip back to the Boston area after a nice turkey dinner, take a few minutes to check out Boston.com for useful travel information. Additionally, here are some tips for air, road and rail travel:

Tips for the Air:

§         Arrive early

§         Travel light 

§         Print out boarding passes ahead of time

§         Check for delays

§         Remember your ID

§         Don't stress

Tips for the Road:

§         Know when to go (The Wednesday before, and Sunday after, Thanksgiving are usually the busiest times on the road; avoid these travel times.)

§         Bring snacks

§         Check weather conditions

§         Rest up for the drive

Tips for the Rails:

§         Know when to go (The Wednesday before, and Sunday after, Thanksgiving are usually the busiest times on the road; avoid these travel times.)

§         Know the baggage policy

§         Check for schedule updates online

§         Buy ticket ahead of time

The Most Dangerous Commute

Commuting to work can be annoying, frustrating, aggravating and sometimes dangerous.  Although a typical commute for the average worker tends not to involve anything too dramatic, we should never forget how much worse our commute could be.  Our Armed Forces commute to work everyday for us in the most dangerous situations where they never know what is coming next.  Check out these videos of some commutes in action.  BostonCommutes.

Commuting by Car? Check out eRideShare.com

Have you ever considered sharing your commute when driving to work?  If you have to drive to work consider sharing your commute with a fellow commuter by visiting eRideShare.com to see if anyone nearby is interested in sharing your commute also.  The best thing is that if you live near a major city and sometimes your commuting partner has schedule conflicts one of you could resort to using public transportation as an alternative on the days things don't match up.  Another plus is that the more people who share their commute, the better it is for our environment and infrastructure.  BostonCommutes.