MBTA to Launch New T-Alerts Service in June
The MBTA is rolling out an entirely new alerts system next month which includes changes from the details provided in alert messages to a visual website enhancement. Through the new system, which goes into effect June 4, users can opt to receive email or text alerts for a late bus or train or a service interruption, much like the old system. However, the new alerts “will be clearer and more detailed with additional information regarding specific trip times, service schedule changes, and distinct directional, branch and station communications,” according to anMBTA press statement released Thursday. MBTA Deputy Press Secretary Kelly Smith further explained the new system in an email to Patch: “It’s built around a core of GTFS data. GTFS, or General Transit Feed Specification, is the industry standard for sharing schedule information. This means that, for example, when dispatchers enter an alert that a bus route is on detour, they select not just the route from a list but each stop bypassed from a list of all stops served; if a commuter rail trip is delayed they can select the trip from a list of trips. Not only does this make alerts more detailed, but because the options chosen are shared with developers and are based on the same GTFS core they may be using, it opens up new opportunities in filtering, displaying, and using the information.” The system uses standards introduced by Google in 2011, according to the statement. Interested users must sign up for the new system as they will no longer receive alerts through the current system which is being discontinued. The current system was launched in 2007 and has more than 50,000 subscribers, according to the statement. Alerts will continue to appear on the MBTA website service alerts page, which will get a visual update “for clarity, ease-of-use and reader-friendliness,” according to the statement. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
One Fund Boston Claim Forms Available Until June 15
Victims of the Boston Marathon bombings can file claims starting today through June 15, to possibly receive One Fund Boston assistance. Funds will start being distributed by June 30. One Fund Boston administrator Kenneth Feinberg released the final distribution protocol on Wednesday, which outlines how initial funds raised will be handed out, according to a City of Boston press statement. The protocol for claims and claim forms are available at One Fund Boston’s website. Claim forms are also being mailed to potential claimants who registered through One Fund’s website. “The outpouring of support for The One Fund has been unprecedented in my experience,” said Feinberg via statement. “We remain committed to channeling that generosity to assist those most impacted by the bombings and to do so by the end of June.” Feinberg has said that several hundred claims had already been submitted through the website ruring two public meetings held last week. The meetings were held at the Copley Public Library for feedback from the community on the distribution protocol, initially made available to the public on May 6. Any individual claimant may request an in-person or telephone meeting with Feinberg. Requests to meet with Feinberg and questions regarding claim forms should be directed to claimantservices@onefundboston.org or by telephone to 866-298-2951. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch