According to the MTA, service information will no longer be available through all of its Twitter pages and will instead be posted to numerous websites, apps, and other tools that it offers, officials announced on Thursday, April 27.
The announcement comes after Twitter launched the "Twitter Blue" subscription service, which charges users for blue verification checkmarks on their accounts.
In a statement, MTA officials said the company would "not pay tech platforms to publish service information," and that it has instead "built redundant tools that provide service alerts in real-time."
Additionally, officials said that the MTA's access to Twitter was "involuntarily interrupted" twice in the last two weeks on Friday, April 14, and Thursday, April 27.
"The reliability of the platform can no longer be guaranteed," MTA officials said, adding that the decision is effective immediately.
To find service alerts, commuters can now use the following tools:
- The myMTA and TrainTime apps;
- The MTA's homepage at MTA.info;
- Email alerts;
- Text messages.
Officials also said that service alerts are available on thousands of screens in stations, on trains, and on buses.
Although the MTA's Twitter accounts will no longer publish alerts, the accounts will remain active so that customers can tweet at them with questions and requests for help as they have before. These questions will continue to receive responses.
The @MTA account will also remain active for branding and other messaging.
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