Ideas to improve steps

Improvement #1: The first step to improve upon in the customer experience is communication in regards to where a designated train is located. Many people reported that there was poor communication in the survey I sent out, and a way to improve would be offer real time visual information on the position of the train, much like a Uber or Lyft. Through a map offered on NJ Transit app and on screens at station, people can see where their train is currently at and get real time updates through use of sensors. This way people always know where their train is at and can track exactly when their train is at the station. People can leave from the station and do other things to reduce overcrowding and return at the exact time their train arrives.

Improvement #2: The next part I sought to improve was the onboarding and exiting of trains. This silent, but deadly time waster causes chaos and confusion as passengers getting off on the same side as passengers getting on. My idea is to designate one side of doors for exiting and one side for onboarding to reduce clutter at the point of entry and exit.

Improvement #3: The third portion of the experience I want to improve is the overall waiting at stations and platforms. There are no games or activities for people to do at stations and platforms to make the experiences more pleasurable. The implementation of simple arcade games and even AR games people can play with their phones would help to kill time as people wait for their trains. I overall seek to make the experience more fun which can reduce stress of commute and make people happy on their way to and from work or school, et cetera.

Ideas to remove steps:

Remove #1: The first step I opted to remove was the purchasing of a ticket for everyday passengers. Instead, self-sovereign identities where people pay with a QR code connected to their bank account is necessary. This way people reduce ticket waste and pay only when they get on the train. Many people reported that they could not get a refund when they purchase a ticket and the train is cancelled. I believe paying only when onboard is optimal and saves people time from the everyday hassle. Pull your phone out, use code and confirm your offboarding location and onboarding location from your phone utilizing GPS to pinpoint exact coordinates.

Remove #2: The next step I propose to remove is the need to drive, rideshare, walk or catch bus to train station or platform. Instead there can be underground stations all around New Jersey where people get into autonomous magnetic levitating bumper carts, which constantly transport people to and from the train stations. I propose this as a way to reduce the traffic in the morning and eliminate unnecessary parking near train stations where people leave their cars ALL day. This not only will reduce some morning traffic, but allow more parking spaces needed for those not commuting by train to use. This is also another way to make the customer’s experience more fun and reduce some stress of getting to work. These local train transport stations would run until train service stops and be crucial to optimizing time of getting to and from work.

Remove#3: The third and last step I propose to remove is the seating structure. The current NJ Transit train seating allows people to hog seats to themselves with no regard for others and is overall inefficient to accommodate the sheer amount of passengers. I propose to have a system which uses body detection and sensors to alert passengers of seats where humans are not sitting and make a sound or vibrate to alert the passenger to move their bag and let someone sit down. This would ultimately improve the train riding experience and optimize all seats onboard train.