MTA Offers WhatsApp Messaging Services for Commuters’ Questions and Concerns

 By Yehudit Garmaise

     Instead of just staring at your phone while you wait for subways and buses that are running late, now you can send questions, concerns, and even complaints directly to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and receive immediate responses on WhatsApp, the MTA announced today. 

    Since the August launch of MTA’s new WhatsApp chat, the transit authority has been working to improve its WhatsApp link so that it can serve as its new and more effective customer service model.

   Once customers download the WhatsApp app onto their phones, the MTA’s link can be found at mta.info/whatsapp.

   Amazingly, the MTA’s WhatsApp link is set up to help New York City’s many residents and visitors who do not speak English as their first language or at all.

    With the help of Google Translate, MTA staff will be able to address the questions and concerns of subway and bus riders in 108 different languages. 

    "It's absolutely imperative that all of our customers are able to communicate with us about their train or bus service in real-time," said New York City Transit Chief Customer Officer Sarah Meyer. "Millions of people follow our Twitter handles and thousands engage with us each week, but expanding the number of customers we communicate with is at the core of my job. We can always reach more New Yorkers.”