Entrepreneurs go with their gut when they see a need and have the skills or moxie to fill it with some innovative technology or approach. When developer Andy Atkinson, a light rail rider, found himself uncertain as to whether his train was on time or when others might be available if he happened to want to catch one earlier than usual, he knew that the GPS-enabled iPhone in his hand was the perfect device to deliver an application that would fix this problem…and he had the skills to create it.
Enter Train Brain. This $1.99 iPhone application (available here in the iTunes store) is for Twin Cities Metro Transit light rail riders. Though you can walk around with a paper schedule in your pocket or pull up a PDF of that schedule on your iPhone, with a couple of taps Train Brain can tell you when the next train is scheduled from the station you’re standing in, how much the fare will cost and and a countdown for the trains arrival.
I had a chance to talk with Andy this week and find out more about this guy and why he created the application. He told me the backstory I alluded to in the opening paragraph along with being a bit self-deprecating about the limited nature of the app and that it wasn’t “complicated.” I’d beg to differ since “perfect is the enemy of good” and what he’s already delivered meets the need squarely and is a tool that will delight Light Rail riders.
Turns out Andy is a web application developer, Objective-C coder and has the technical chops to put out this first Train Brain version and to keep it going (he has lots of ideas and next steps in mind for it). You can read more of his thoughts on his technical blog here and I’m sure he’ll talk more about his new gig with Tightrope Media Systems (a recent Minnedemo presenter) and the great work they’re doing in digital signage and broadcast when he’s able to do so.
One of the things that came up in our conversation was the design of the website and application. I’ve yet to meet a solid developer who’d admit to possessing any modicum of strength in graphic design. Andy was quick to point out that the website and application design I was praising (as clean, functional and fresh) was done by Nate Kadlac Design and Nate deserved the praise.
The only thing that came to mind after talking to Andy was this: Metro Transit ought to buy this app and get behind it. With the future continued rollout of light rail in the Twin Cities, likely delays as the system expands, there is no question riders will need better tools to manage their ridership instead of just a PDF of a paper schedule or, God forbid, having to carry a schedule around in your pocket.