Earlier this year, the blue bird company had changed its previous API which as absolutely free to use and introduced a new one which was accessible on payment. The New York City transport department had been for several years using the social media app to provide real time updates to its users about the functionality of a particular community means of transport. However, the NYC transport authority has recently announced their decision to not give updates about their functioning on the social media platform. The high prices of the API have been cited as the primary reason for this decision.
Credits: BBC
The Role of New York’s transport authority:
The transport authority of the city of New York is an important part of the city life. The transportation infrastructure of the city connects and links the city’s dwellers, businesses, and tourists. The popular subway system of the city is an iconic part of the city’s transport mechanism. The subway is used by millions of New Yorkers each day to get to their destinations throughout the city.
Along with a vast subway network, the transport authority is also responsible for operating a large number of buses which effectively connect most parts of the city. The buses are mostly used by those residents of the city who have to reach a destination which is closer to a bus stop or not accessible through a subway.
The role of the transport department in the city’s economy has been crucial for a very long time. Apart from facilitating the movement of people and goods throughout the city, the department also generates a lot of revenue for the city’s administration.
NYC transport department and Twitter:
The transport authority have been using Twitter for a very long time to send service alerts and updates to the people who travel using community transport means. This has been a valuable resource for users of their services to stay informed about any disruptions or delays that they were likely to encounter. Numerous people had relied on this procedure for several years until now when the transport department officially announced that it will no longer issue updates on the social media platform.
Apart from other concerns regarding the challenges that users of Metropolitan Transport Authority services might face due to their decision, another concern is that people might shift from public transport to using other means of transport that have been long discouraged over the use of public transport. Although the problems would be momentary, they might force some people into permanently changing their preferred means of transport.
Why this was done?
In the initial months of this year, the social media company had introduced a new API which unlike its predecessor was a paid service. API is a software that lets two applications interconnect and exchange data and information. Several big firms had opposed the new API including Microsoft. After the move, Microsoft had removed permissions from the Xbox gaming consoles and Window’s game bar to upload screenshots from their devices directly on the social media platform by using either of the two. As per reports, the social media company had asked the MTA to pay $50,000 per month to continue using the API software on their app. The leadership of the MTA was strongly opposed to the idea and believed that these funds could be used on better spent on other things. MTA chief in a statement to Bloomberg said that the organization felt that buying access to the Twitter API would not be the right usage of their resources. They have said that there are other ways which they could use to better communicate with residents of NYC who use their services. As of now, they have encouraged frequent travelers to bookmark their official website.
