Delivering unified, accessible messaging to 9 million daily riders
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is one of the largest public transit systems in the world, serving over 9 million people daily. Launch transformed their rider messaging system from a patchwork of siloed software to a unified experience that was seamless and accessible to all riders.
Primary goals
Support a massive rider base
The new system needed to support the language and accessibility requirements of the world’s most diverse user base.
Create a single source-of-truth
Ensure the MTA can create and disseminate all possible update types from a single communication platform.
Scalable future
With 472 stations in operation and constant expansion of rider applications, the MTA needed a future-proof system built to scale.
Platform reinvention
Through user research, interviews and analysis, we conceived a design that greatly simplified message creation and publication. Working in parallel, software engineers began architecting a modern, flexible software platform using technologies like GraphQL and React. Thanks to continuous deployments, MTA teams could test and provide feedback after only a few months.
A grand, central station
We built MTA Mercury: a central CMS and source-of-truth communication tool for the MTA—where a message can be written once and published across multiple endpoints. Anyone in the MTA can easily program and control messaging heading out to millions of riders on a daily basis. Because MTA Mercury was built with the future in mind, it’s ready to support all the apps and experiences of a digitally transformed New York.
The evolution of accessibility for all riders
With the help of Mercury, the MTA publishes upward of 80,000 service messages per month to keep riders informed in real time. These messages appear on over 50,000 digital screens throughout subway, bus and railroads stations, but the information wasn’t accessible to all riders in the system. As an ongoing strategic partner of the MTA, Launch created a solution that delivered audible, real-time transit information to blind and low-vision riders.
Best in class accessibility at New York City scale
Through user interviews and expert panel discussions, we formed a deep understanding of how blind and low-vision riders navigate the public transportation system, and identified critical communication gaps. Challenges with complex station layouts, distracting environmental noise and a lack of clear, audible stop announcements were common issues.
Based on the findings, Launch developed a software toolkit that could deliver five types of mobile push notifications to users, including service alerts, track changes and alerts when you’ve reached your stop. These messages are delivered as native push notifications in a format accessible to mobile screen readers, including Voiceover on iOS and Talkback on Android.
Future state of mind
MTA Mercury powers tens of thousands of special-purpose screens in MTA stations across New York City and the surrounding metro area, all controlled by a powerful interface that’s perfectly customized to the needs of the MTA’s digital communications teams. And because it’s built with the future in mind, it’s ready to support all the apps and experiences of a digitally transformed New York.
Whether you’re a low-vision daily commuter who needs up-to-the-second updates about your train, or a tourist trying to get around in a big, unfamiliar city, the MTA is committed to doing right by all riders. That means supporting them with real-time, accurate, accessible information that makes their lives easier, powered by a modern flexible platform that’s built for the future.
