I have a confession to make. One of my guilty pleasures is the @PatcoWatchers twitter feed. Every morning and evening, when I do my daily walk back home (and past the Patco stop in Camden), I pull out my phone and check all the latest.
Have a complaint?
I get four e-mails (including the blank ones) for every train delay, but nothing announcing new schedules. Thanks @RidePATCO .
— Jim Jensen (@J_R_Jensen) July 29, 2014
Want to report maintenance?
Car 238 door L1 has some issues @RidePATCO
— PATCO Watchers (@PatcoWatchers) July 29, 2014
A funny person?
Go ahead.. try to eat that Chinese food on the train without sharing and watch how fast I pull this cart alarm…… @PatcoWatchers
— Joe Forte (@RegularJizzo_88) July 29, 2014
Yes, @PatcoWatchers is becoming a bit of an obsession of mine. But it’s not just I enjoy walking the Ben Franklin and occasionally passing the Patco. It’s because I actually think this type of crowdsourcing is a perfect example of effective crowdsourcing: it’s powerful, yet messy.
It takes a certain type of person to develop a social media voice and dedicate it to being a watchdog for public transportation. My favorite barroom debate with friends is quickly becoming, “does Patco love, or hate @PatcoWatchers?” Because it’s clear they are paying attention:
@PatcoWatchers @UncleGILC Apologies for the residual delays. In fact, the disabled train was ahead of you and experienced further problems.
— PATCO (@RidePATCO) July 29, 2014
In the short-term, it’s easy to imagine a Patco employee exasperated by the constant complaints, and the platform for them to be public. When Patco messes up, more people now know about it.
But think about all the valuable information that is being shared. Think about all the creative ideas that are being made public.
"@Mandy_Anne: Quick peak of refurbed train cars rolling by @PatcoWatchers pic.twitter.com/L0hk4sCYz2" Can't be in service soon enough!
— PATCO Watchers (@PatcoWatchers) July 29, 2014
@martin_kelley @PatcoWatchers I want a cut of any $ generated! It was MY idea! Damn PATCO ruining my commute, stealing my ideas! ;-D
— Don Morgan (@Don_Morgan) July 29, 2014
Over the long-term, that’s going to make Patco a much better service. Watchdogs are doing the public a solid; they’re linking public transportation to its customers and creating an easy way to report problems. Plus, it provides a little entertainment for those of us who don’t have to commute:
Anyone have 'Disabled train on the BF Bridge' in today's @RidePATCO delay pool?
— PATCO Watchers (@PatcoWatchers) July 29, 2014
Yes I did, thank you.
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