The Official MTA App Reviews

by Lremigo97

Like everything else the MTA has, TheOfficialMTAApp is absolutely terrible and the “planned trip” is useless. I am a commuter who needs to be at work at the same time everyday and there is not a single day that I use TheOfficialMTAApp that it gives me the correct time of arrival for my destination or even for a train. TheOfficialMTAApp has caused me to be late to work several times. I have even left 15 minutes before it says I need to leave and by the time I get to the station, TheOfficialMTAApp updates my ETA for 15 minutes later than they said. So awful.

by Trevor C Sutton

At the end of the day you want an app that will tell you when the next train is coming quickly and simply, this fails on both counts. You have to click through several fields to get to train times and then your choices are limited by your location, which is unreliable. Almost impossible to pick a station up or down the line from where you are to figure out a transfer. And the display of times is only half screen meaning you have to enlarge and scroll to see downtown arrivals half the time. As usual the MTA is trying to be too clever and satisfied no one. I miss the Subway Time app—at least it was straightforward.

by Fpcarolan

This is a garbage app. It takes forever to find what you are looking for, and even after you do, the data is probably wrong. For instance, today I wanted to check to see when the next train was coming into my local station. After I finally find it, I realize that it is displaying information for a completely different station. Super helpful.

SubwayTime was incredible because it was simple and easy to use. It was about as close to perfection as the MTA will ever achieve. So, of course, they pulled the plug on it.

by Blahblablughblahblughhhh

I never write reviews, but TheOfficialMTAApp just pisses me off, it counteracts what it is intended to be. I used to use SubwayTime and it was super accurate. just a couple weeks ago you stopped supporting it, and shut it down, forcing us to use this garbage of an app.. it tells you the train is coming in 2 minutes, but then you go and it turns out the train is already gone and you have to wait 15 minutes for the next one... MAKE IT MORE ACCURATE!!!!!!... So that it works the way it is intended to...
I will update the stars if you fix this stupid issue. Thanks

by Atlis81

I’m late every day! The Q54 is by far the worst route in NYC. I asked the DRIVER if the time on TheOfficialMTAApp reflects the time the bus gets here. His comment “ I do t go by that I go by this “ and shows me a schedule written on a frigging index card! So what that tells me is this; 1 tax payer money being utilized for a technology that is not being used properly. 2) The MTA cares less about your time and more about their money. I done understand how 6 buses can pass by and all are out of service. This is frustrating. I have to leave an hour earlier for a 40 min ride that ends up being 1 and 40 min. Terrible.

by Nnnaaaatttaaalllyy

The MTA is already a nightmare and knows that New Yorkers rely on them despite of the horrible service. TheOfficialMTAApp is NEVER accurate, it constantly freezes, does not update regularly and probably never gets maintenance. Do NOT rely on the times that you see in TheOfficialMTAApp to take a train or a bus. This is just a feel good app that fools you into feeling better when you see “2 mins” when in reality the train already arrived and you missed it because you relied on the information in TheOfficialMTAApp. Your best bet is to leave your house early enough to wing it with these stupid trains and buses.

by Sabor Místico

Most of the time all I want to do is look up what time the next bus is coming, but even figuring out how to do so is too involved. The previous app, “Bus Time” allowed you to quickly look up a bus route and it automatically saved the routes you previously looked for. However TheOfficialMTAApp does not. Even if I save a route, I do not see it listed anywhere and apparently it was all a waste of time. For something like this, all you really want is quick and simple access - especially during extreme temperatures or stormy conditions, but that isn’t what TheOfficialMTAApp provides. 👎

by Alexlawrens

This is really designed for tourists who have no idea what the subway is... that said, the interface is also just as confusing as train service on a weekend. So, good luck tourists!! Too many links that require you to go to a website and take you off TheOfficialMTAApp . Why go on TheOfficialMTAApp if I need to leave it? No easy way to quickly see when the next train is coming for a specific line/stop without going through a much of clicks, or unless you favorite every possible subway line you’ll ever take, at which point, what’s the point in favoriting? And it’s weird... TheOfficialMTAApp seems to do everything except what people want it to do. Tell us which trains are arriving when and how about to get there. Yes, you can do that... but it takes so many steps. Save yourself the download space and don’t get this.

by Ibrokemyback

Bloated UI, inconsistent (sometimes inconceivable) performance.

For example: TheOfficialMTAApp will sometimes show it is tracking busses in real-time, shows the bus arriving at a stop, then show the bus moving along the route...but nothing even came to the stop you’ve been standing out for 10 minutes. So what is it tracking, exactly? Bizarre and frustrating when you’re trying to choose between two route options based on arrival times.

by Coco161620

TheOfficialMTAApp is trying to be too much! The old app that just tracked train times was much more user friendly and more consistent. TheOfficialMTAApp is way less user friendly - for the subway stops that share with the shuttle it shows up as the same train so you really have to pay attention instead of it showing as a different train. If someone is not as familiar with the destination of the train, you will be confused. It also switches the downtown and uptown depending on the station. For my station in Brooklyn it’s downtown on top and then uptown on bottom, while other stations are reverse. That can cause a lot of confusion since it’s so inconsistent and it really should be uniform throughout TheOfficialMTAApp . I want the old app to be supported again! Much better usage and got the job done

by JeffTNYC

I rely on this application now to get around NYC and am running into settings glitches. When you save a destination and click on the top right “customize” go to travel preferences I set it to show me ONLY subway. Not bus, express bus or rail. I save my settings. When I reopen TheOfficialMTAApp the next time I need to use it, all my settings are gone and it’s reset to show all 4 methods of travel. Please fix. TheOfficialMTAApp should also know where I am on a map and show me the best route using my current location. I am going into Greenpoint Brooklyn right now and it says to take the M train to the B62 bus. I’m already on the G train and my destination is 2 stops away! TheOfficialMTAApp needs to be smarter.

by HardRockHope

Recently an update resulted in icons not showing up for favorite lines so you can’t tell which lines have issues until you click on them. Also all the favorites stations and stops have disappeared, requiring navigation to the “stations near me” option, meaning location services are required. All of this makes TheOfficialMTAApp far slower to use and less functional in general. Two updates have come since then and not fixed this issue, nor has deleting and redownloading TheOfficialMTAApp . I miss the old subway time app!

by NRC23

Much like the MTA itself, the MyMTA app is poorly kept. The overall app interface is fine - it could be much better - but the information on it is often wrong or not up to date. I only use it for subways and the “planned work” or “delay” updates are wrong half of the time; that goes up to about 90% on the weekends. Often, I will wait for an M train that TheOfficialMTAApp claims to be “8 min” away and find out the M train is, in fact, not running at all. Long story short, double-check with station employees as TheOfficialMTAApp is often wrong. MTA: please get it together.

by TR7007

TheOfficialMTAApp is fine but a bit limited.

Need an option to share trips with family and friends. This would be especially helpful for parents who are trying to help there young teens navigate the subway while giving their some freedom. Parents would have some peace of mind with the ability to guide their kids from afar by sharing alternative routes when there are service disruptions.

by HeadShouldersNissanToes

Firstly, TheOfficialMTAApp is great, the time is accurate and for such a wide scale train system TheOfficialMTAApp can (mostly) keep track of every running train at the moment. Not only that but to be able to track buses is amazing, since traffic can prove to be arbitrary. Maybe I’m being too picky, but this system can still improve. I’m on my way the station so I check TheOfficialMTAApp , 2 minutes for the next D, the next after that was in 20 minutes!! Obviously I sped up, but as I ventured further into the platform, TheOfficialMTAApp already says “arriving” not a single tremor in the platform. The train just wasn’t there. I check again on TheOfficialMTAApp and the arriving train was no longer there, only the train in 20, now 18 minutes left and another half an hour away. This is NOT the first time there has been a ghost train on TheOfficialMTAApp . Hopefully the service’s tracking system improves, and maybe the issue isn’t TheOfficialMTAApp , but the trains themselves, well why can’t we get those fixed too hmm? Where does our tax money go?

by MellnPam618

My Wife & I uses TheOfficialMTAApp daily. Everything was smooth sailing until a week ago. I have both IPhone11 and GalaxyS20 and my Wife has the GalaxyS20. TheOfficialMTAApp still works great on the iPhone however I can’t say the same for our Galaxies. I keep getting a message saying I’ve either entered a invalid route or My device doesn’t has internet service. Please fix things back to the way they were. My Wife really depends on it.

by K77new

Not sure about the lower average rating. Good app that worked for us. Any location to any location, it has given us how to reach the closest station or bus stand and which train to board, to deboard where and to walk how much. Maybe locals have more detailed issues with it, but it has worked for us during our visit.

by Damex28

I love TheOfficialMTAApp . It’s always accurate and I know if I should transfer or not at a station. Before I couldn’t tell and I would wait 15 minutes and miss my chance to use another subway line. Always tells you what trains are working in which stations if you click on the train line and stop. Very accurate. I’m very happy. Maybe add notifications? That would be awesome. Like if the 7 is not running when something happens at Times Square etc.

by KENMAN50

New upgrade August 26 broke the favorites. The existing ones disappeared. New subway favorites now show blank and there is no ability to add railroad favorites. Now completely useless as an app.
UPDATE 9/23!21 New update has fixed issues after 4 weeks. Now again most helpful in tracking favorite lines and any activity/delays in the system. Glad to have it back

by Chinapoohbear

My biggest fear of the city is getting lost and google maps and waze were both not helping with my fear. I downloaded TheOfficialMTAApp and my stress was gone. It told me what subway I needed to take and how many stops until I have to get off with multiple different options like willing to walk far or shortest walking distance. TheOfficialMTAApp made my day trip 100x better and I’ve had a good day

by Fallout Fanatic Forever

Tracks are rarely correct. At some point TheOfficialMTAApp decided to start suggesting you take the 456 to 125th street *while you are standing in grand central*

1) *make it clear you are changing this* I missed my 8:59 train because TheOfficialMTAApp said 9:09 after a year+ of only having to look at train time, not checking for unnecessary and illogical routing
2) it’s not the fastest route, *you get home at the same time (assuming a subway delay doesn’t make you miss your train)*
3) it’s not the fewest transfers, *you just added a subway trip*
4)456 -> 125 Metro North is not a safe walk at night
5) you are paying for a subway ticket and/or risking missing your train due to delays for absolutely no reason
6) the 125 Metro North station is a hole in the wall, filthy and has next to no amenities

by Mschultz

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH TheOfficialMTAApp.

The MTA cleared out all the original ONE STAR REVIEWS in an effort to hide how incredibly bad TheOfficialMTAApp is. But they’re all returning. Because TheOfficialMTAApp really is THAT BAD.

And they keep deleting THIS REVIEW. But I’ll keep putting it back because I’d give TheOfficialMTAApp ZERO STARS if I could.

TheOfficialMTAApp tries to be all things to all people, and of course, IT FAILS MISERABLY.

The user interface is a jumbled, confusing mess of pure frustration.

And what’s worse, it’s clear that the designers and developers of TheOfficialMTAApp don’t actually use it for commuting in NYC. EVER. If they did, they’d immediately understand how USELESS it actually is.

It’s utter and extreme uselessness incites an intense commuter rage that will have you wanting to hurl your iPhone against the nearest wall.

It literally does nothing well. NOTHING.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH TheOfficialMTAApp.

Really.

by Inspiray

An app that is absolute garbage. Like literally. 3rd Grader these days could have done a better job. The time is inaccurate, service maintenance info is inaccurate, app functionality is not at all intuitive, the map is slow slow slow. I mean come on, TheOfficialMTAApp operation is even slower than something like grubhub or generic 3rd party NYC based all. The design is also terrible, and why did you all put that horrendous animation upon the start of TheOfficialMTAApp ? TheOfficialMTAApp needs so much work to the point that it is going to be easier to re-write TheOfficialMTAApp .

by Chinky Chang

It's a nice app but sadly it crashes on iOS 13 when I try to view my saved lines, always had problems with TheOfficialMTAApp freezing and even freezing my phone all together I would think than by now all the problems would be sorted out but nope. How can I use TheOfficialMTAApp if it's always crashing and freezing up. Anyway. Maybe I will try it again in another year or I may not even bother with it anymore. Thanks anyway for trying. It will be uninstall from now on.

by Sherry30

Add the ability to purchase your metro tickets for local travel on TheOfficialMTAApp and place the ticket(s) in your phone wallet ...I am referencing the regular metro tickets that we purchase at the machines now when traveling between the boroughs. NYC is So Behind on this. Customers should be able to take care of their fare via phone whether its paying for more value or adding time or purchasing the monthly pass. Don’t forget about workers who use the Government transit credit card. Please ensure the system works with it.

by Fokt

The wait times for subways and buses seems accurate, but TheOfficialMTAApp constantly crashes. It also takes a very long time to load up. What’s the point of an app to find info quickly that is always slow and crashing?

by Fairest Of Them All

Trying to plan ahead and give future train times. I input the location and arrival time I’d like, it’s unable to do that even though it has the options to. It just gives current times of trains. I just want to go somewhere in 2 hours and it can’t even give times.

by PrincetonTiger

TheOfficialMTAApp would be fine if it didn’t crash constantly during or immediately after startup. I use this every morning but it crashes SO MUCH I have to open it four to eight times in order to actually access the information I need.

by Quilof

I want to open the takes few secs for TheOfficialMTAApp to play its opening graphics which is a waste of time. No point in having it unless it covers the loading portion. After typing what bus you want to check it asks if you mean that exact bus then it shows the results. No point in showing what I mean and results they perform the safe objective. Perform it together or cut the “do you mean” part. Waste of time that can be taken out. Optimize if for quick view so that we can use it more frequently.

by Brightsky

Despite using TheOfficialMTAApp at roughly half the frequency with which I use Google Maps, it’s used 2x as much cell data. I even use Google Maps for turn by turn directions when driving sometimes, something I never do with TheOfficialMTAApp. Why is MYmta eating through my data plan?

by Djp420-sound Man

I use it daily. The opening graphic needs to be no longer than a second. It’s cute the first time you see it but... it gets old fast and quickly becomes an obstacle. There are many areas where TheOfficialMTAApp can improve, like letting us know certain transfers are not free like riding the F in from Manhattan and switching to the G. No free Xfer!!!! Also there are many connections that are not mentioned like taking the F to A to the G because you have to leave the station to go the opposite direction. TheOfficialMTAApp will route you back one stop for NON-Free transfer and adds time to my commute.
It’s a great first version and I hope it improves. First things first get rid of the cute opening graphic.

by Shon_77

The feature to track exact busses by their bus number (ex. Bus #1061) would be extremely helpful in the form of an exact vehicle search method in the bus tracker. This could help people find a lost item or something of the sorts. It would be a great alternative for the no longer functioning Transit Tracker app.

Please consider this. Besides that, TheOfficialMTAApp is great!

by Aromatic Virus 34

The only reason I downloaded this was for the ease of access, like if I wanted to go somewhere or plan a trip I’d be able to input where I wanted to go and it was my assumption that TheOfficialMTAApp would be able to track where your bus/train was and tell you of delays or traffic but it didn’t. So yea🤷‍♂️, tbh google maps is better

by Betsy27

I found TheOfficialMTAApp so useful that I starting using it as my go-to transit app instead of Google Maps. And when my son starting going to, school on his own, I installed it on his phone and showed him how to used it to help him plan his commute to school. I’ve showed him how to use TheOfficialMTAApp to either start walking or find shelter in a local business on a cold day based on how far his bus is. Don’t get me wrong, TheOfficialMTAApp can use some improvements. When TheOfficialMTAApp suggests a route to a destination it’s usually pretty efficient. However when I want to plan my own routes based on my schedule and errands I need to run, I can’t tell where buses or trains intersect. I need to go to an actual subway or bus map for that.

by BMG196

I can’t speak on behalf of a New Yorker who uses TheOfficialMTAApp on a daily basis or more frequently and knows what’s incorrect or not. But my family and I visited New York for a few days and of course we had no clue how to really use the subway system. It took a second to figure it out but once I got the hang of the it TheOfficialMTAApp actually really helped us find the correct subway routes to get around the city quicker. So overall it was accurate for the purpose we used it for and to anyone traveling to the city for the first time I would definitely recommend it as a little helpful addition to figure things out.