Apps Speed NY Subway Commute

While Washingtonians are just grateful when Metro subway cars move, some New Yorkers want mobile apps that will point them to the most convenient seats in New York City Transit cars.

App developers have created a few tools for directing passengers to the quickest routes and to cars that will drop you off closest to the exit, according to The New York Times' Bob Tedeschi.

He writes in the article Help in Shaving Minutes Off Your Underground Commute that one of the apps, Exit Strategy NYC ($4, iPhone and BlackBerry; $3, Android),

solves a problem faced by anyone who has ever reached their subway stop, only to face the dreaded staircase bottleneck.

If you approach the staircase from the rear, where people must squeeze along a narrow stretch of platform to reach the stairs, it's even worse. . . .The app is simple to use, and requires no cell or GPS connection to work. Select your stop from the map and choose an uptown or downtown train, and it tells you which car will put you in the best position to beat everyone to the exit. The app even shows the best door to choose on a given car, which is great.

Oh, to escape the dreaded broken escalator bottleneck.