I am in San Francisco for the BEA Conference right now (more on that later), but CTA Tattler has a good roundup of links on the current take on the state of communications at the CTA, including the following coverage of CTA Alerts:
Locals give you wireless alerts
By Kyra Kyles
RedEye
Published September 19, 2006Can’t wait until the CTA introduces its wireless service alerts this fall? You don’t have to, thanks to two local tech professionals who have launched unofficial "L" and bus service alerts.
ctatattler.com wireless alerts
Who created it: Daniel O’Neil, 39, an Internet consultant who lives in Logan Square
What it offers: You can sign up on www.ctatattler.com to receive messages about "L" and bus service delivered to subscribers’ wireless handheld devices.
When it was founded: July 2005
What inspired it: O’Neil got tired of the midnight "whining and complaining" by riders who blogged on his brother Kevin O’Neil’s ctatattler.com site. "Why sit in your underwear sending details of what bus or train was delayed that day," Daniel O’Neil said. "Let’s share this little information with everybody else when it counts."
Who feeds it: Any of the approximately 400 subscribers, including the CTA via the handle "CTA_HQ"
What’s next: Some riders are campaigning for alerts customized by Line or bus route, but Daniel O’Neil sees the CTA as a "network effect," where one disruption can affect other buses and trains. For now, the service stays the same, he said.