The MTA is abandoning bus and train alerts on Twitter


New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it will no longer post service alerts and information on Twitter, citing doubts about the platform’s reliability. It’s directing riders to its website, apps, and email or mobile alerts instead.
“We’ve loved getting to know you On Here, but we don’t love not knowing if we can to communicate with you each day,” the MTA account tweeted in a thread on Thursday evening. “For the MTA, Twitter is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect. So as of today, we’re saying goodbye to it for service alerts and information.”
The MTA acknowledged this was a “big change,” and a separate MTA service account alluded to the reasoning in a followup tweet. “Our access to publish service alerts was suspended last week and again this week,” the account explained, directing people to contact the operators via WhatsApp and iMessage instead.
Earlier this month, the MTA was one of numerous accounts that had its automated service alerts disrupted by changes to Twitter’s application programming interface or API. Along with San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit and a number of disaster alert accounts, it was temporarily locked out of posting service updates as part of Twitter owner Elon Musk’s effort to charge for API access. Separately, while the MTA didn’t cite this as a problem, Twitter has also become more turbulent as users attempt to parse Musk’s confusing rollout of paid verification — which has made it more difficult to judge which accounts are trustworthy.
That’s unfortunate for riders. Service alerts are one of the most consistently helpful services Twitter — until recently — provided, and although the MTA’s other options can fill the gap, it’s a loss for the agency and the microblogging platform alike. As of publication time, the MTA has not joined Dril and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Bluesky.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it will no longer post service alerts and information on Twitter, citing doubts about the platform’s reliability. It’s directing riders to its website, apps, and email or mobile alerts instead. “We’ve loved getting to know you On Here, but we don’t love not knowing…
Recent Posts
- Here’s when and where you can preorder the new iPhone 16E
- The Humane AI Pin debacle is a reminder that AI alone doesn’t make a compelling product
- This 1.9-pound smartphone’s massive battery offers six months of standby
- Movie sales – including 4K Blu-ray – fell again last year, but if you’re going streaming only, you’re massively missing out
- A new and dangerous keylogger is on the loose – here’s how to stay safe
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010