Finding out if your PATH train is delayed will be as simple as looking at your smartphone as you walk to the station for riders using the new RidePATH app.

A new smartphone app, RidePATH, went live on Thursday and is the first in the region to use a Bluetooth beacon to tell riders if their train is delayed or if service is disrupted as they approach the station, officials said. Passengers need to have their phone in Bluetooth mode to receive the notifications.

"It will let them know of service interruptions or delays before they cross in the fare zone," said Keith Armonaitis, Port Authority innovation lab leader. "It will show up on the (phone) lock screen. It will show you the alert itself or (times of the) next several arriving trains."

PATH joins transit systems in Montreal and Bangkok and in scattered locations in the United States that use Bluetooth beacons.

The app also provides the basic information that riders have had to get from the PATH website about train schedules, alerts and advisories and fares, said Scott Ladd, a PATH spokesman.

The RidePATH app has a trip planning feature and it lets riders send feedback, call PATH and Port Authority police. Previously, PATH riders had to turn to privately developed apps to get train schedules.

RidePATH is in the beta testing mode, and the agency wants feedback from passengers about the app and features they want to see in the future, Armonaitis said. Quarterly updates are planned, he said.

"We put it out to get feedback. We're looking to constantly improve the app over time," Armonaitis said. "We want responses from public what think about it."



Commuters asked about a PATH app on the Delayed on NJ Transit Facebook group said mobile ticketing and real-time delay information were the top functions they wanted.



"There really is no need for an app unless it serves the same functions the New Jersey Transit app does, which is ticketing and schedules," said commuter Michael Allen on Facebook. "I can see them integrating the SmartLink (fare) card system into your phone's chip so all you got to do is tap your phone on the turnstile.."

Others said they'd like push notifications about service disruptions.

"If it gave real times updates to when a train was arriving, yes it would help," said Cheryl Petralla Weaver, a PATH commuter.

Mobile ticketing will happen in the future, but it will require installing new turnstiles in PATH stations, Armonaitis said. That feature is several years away, he said.

"It's understood that people want it," he said.

The free app is currently available for iPhone users in the App Store and is scheduled to be available for Android users through Google Play on Friday or Saturday, officials said.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.