MTA Awards Latest Winners Of App Development Competition

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the winners Thursday of its annual contest of smartphone apps targeting straphangers.

The big winner was "YoTrain," which took the $10,000 grand prize for its ability to help the visually and hearing impaired get real-time train information through voice and text alerts. WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.

The app automatically notifies riders when the next train will arrive as they approach any station they've preset.

"Departures NYC" was awarded the other grand prize -- and $7,500. It shows departure times at all bus stops when riders simply point their phones at the direction of the stop.

The App Quest 3.0 contest is sponsored by the MTA, AT&T, Transit Wireless and NYU's Center for Urban Science and Progress. It's a no-brainer in the age of the smartphone, said MTA spokesman Paul Fleuranges.

"Opening up our data, releasing our data and letting the quote-unquote whiz kids have at it, it saves us time, it speeds up innovation, and it gets apps into hands of people who want to use them," he said.

Forty-three teams from 10 countries entered the competition. Eight were awarded prize money ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.

"Some of them (the apps) are out there; some of them are in development," said Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T New York. "This prize money helps some of those who needs additional resources to build them out."

One of the runners-up was Nikki Kurzynowski's "TravAlarm" app, which allows riders to set alarms for specific trips and destinations so they can be informed if their normal modes of transportation are experiencing delays.

"What happens if your train's delayed, your bus is delayed?" Kurzynowski said. "Well, we're going to wake you up sooner to let you know, 'Hey, you have a delay.'"

"ReMap" won for Best Data Visualization App. It provides riders with a real-time subway map that visually displays service changes and redraws itself for night and weekend travel.

Creator Jesse Lee said it also eliminate the question, "Where the nearest subway stop?"

"It uses GPS data on your phone, and it'll show you where you are with a blue dot and then all the entrances to each station with the red pins," Lee said.

The apps require Wi-Fi, available now in about 76 subway stations.