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By adamg on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 8:21am

MBTA app The Herald reports MBTA Transit Police today launch an iPhone app that will let T riders instantly report pervs and suspicious packages.

The new app is already available for download in the Apple App Store as MBTA See Say and will be available today on the Transit Police Web site.

In addition to text reports, users will be able to click a button to connect to a police dispatcher, at least in areas along their route where they have cell service.

An Android version is planned for later release, the T says.

Neighborhoods: 
Boston
Topics: 
The T


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Comments

By Peterborough on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 9:07am.

Seems fairly useless since as you pointed out there's no cell phone coverage on the T most of the time. Most of the creeper stories recently seem to have been on the green line underground between Kenmore-N. Station and it's almost impossible to get service there. Glad they probably outsourced production of this app for a few $grand instead of doing all that "essential maintenance" or keeping the T actually moving.

Peterborough
http://www.bostontipster.com

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By Craiggles on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 9:38am.

Sprint and AT&T have pretty okay service coverage on most of the T, especially in stations, and are the major iPhone carriers. I can't speak for verizon, but my sprint service runs at at least 1x speed through probably 90% of the tunnels, and 3G in about half.

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By Peterborough on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 9:59am.

I should probably switch, I've only had Verizon in Boston and pretty much only get service at 50% of the stations and then only near the entrance. Wasn't a carrier supposed to pay to have service on the T a few years ago? Wonder what happened to that.

Actually here's a link saying it was supposed to be done at the end of 2011:
http://dailyfreepress.com/2011/10/04/green-blue-mb...

Never heard anything after that, they've been supposedly working on it for years. Article says MBTA would even make money off of it so not sure why it hasn't been done if it's a cash flow positive project for the T.

Peterborough
http://www.bostontipster.com

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By Mea on Tue, 05/22/2012 - 9:44am.

I have AT&T and my service is fine on the T. Now they just have to make the app for Blackberries and I'll be all set. -Mea www.hertrainstories.blogspot.com

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By anon on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 9:40am.

Boston.com has an article about cell service on the T today. AT&T & T-mobile are set to have coverage pretty much everywhere underground by the end of the year. Everyone else is dragging their feet with the vendor the T is using to do the actual install and maintenance. MBTA will get about $5.3 million out of the 15-yr contract.

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By anon on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 10:55am.

Sheeple

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By anon on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 11:00am.

Oh great, another tool for alarmists and hysterics to get the T shut down for hours at a time because some harried commuter accidentally left their package behind or because some off the wall homeless person dressed in black or fatigues is automatically assumed to be a terrorist.

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By Matthew on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 12:20pm.

Pervs trying to show you their suspicious package.

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By Saul on Mon, 05/21/2012 - 2:53pm.

Also of note --

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2022052...

He added that the T also is eliminating restrictions on taking pictures in the transit system that were put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

“We realized that with the abundance of cell-phone cameras, it’s almost impossible to enforce that policy of asking people for identification,” MacMillan said. “We now want people to take pictures and report anything suspicious to us.”

Let's see if T workers and cops got the memo.

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