Station Crowding: Metropolitan Transit Authority
In order to improve the experience of riding the New York subway system, the ASU Cloud Innovation Center and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) held a Working Backwards workshop in August 2021. The workshop led to a vision for a digital solution for providing riders real time information about the subway system and station crowding.
Problem
MTA subway stations can become overcrowded by peak rider use, weather impacts, construction and incidents. Crowded stations are uncomfortable for many riders, including people concerned about social distancing, carrying parcels, traveling with children or pets, senior citizens and those with mobility issues. MTA research identified stations most prone to overcrowding and also that riders lacked the ability to find out these stations were crowded until after they had entered the station, passed through the turnstile and started down the stairs, escalator or elevator. By the time riders realized the situation they had already paid the fare adding to an unfavorable experience.
Approach
This innovative solution will involve station based sensors, data analytics and kiosks outside subway and bus stations. The ASU CIC will develop a prototype that will allow the MTA to explore how best to use their resources. The solution could monitor the platforms and rider counts to calculate the density of subway users and make this information available and easy to understand on a website or mobile app. This prototype will open the door to easier and more efficient subway travels.
Supporting Artifacts
The Amazon Working Backwards process produces three artifacts - a fictional Press Release, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and a Visual depiction of the user experience. You can find the Station Crowding artifacts here:
| MTA STATION CROWDING VISUAL | |
| MTA PRFAQ | MTA PRFAQ |
Next Steps
The MTA and ASU CIC came together to workshop the problem and solutions. They traded ideas and perspectives and are now working independently to solve the issue.
About the ASU CIC
The ASU Smart Cities Cloud Innovation Center (CIC) is a strategic relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and is supported by AWS on ASU’s Innovation campus - SkySong. The mission of the CIC is to drive Innovation Challenges that materially benefit the greater Phoenix metro area and beyond. The CIC will do this by solving pressing community and regional challenges, using shareable and repeatable technology solutions from ideation through prototype, as a service for the greater human good.
The CIC also provides real-world problem-solving experiences to students by immersing them in the application of proven innovation methods in combination with the latest technologies to solve important challenges in the public sector.
The challenges being addressed cover a wide variety of topics including homelessness, water conservation, vandalism, pedestrian safety, digital service delivery and many others. The CIC leverages the deep subject matter expertise of government, education and non-profit organizations to clearly understand the customers affected by public sector challenges and develops solutions that meet the customer needs.
For more information on the ASU CIC, to read about projects or to submit a challenge, please visit https://smartchallenges.asu.edu.