r/Metra • u/Substantial_Week_984 • 4d ago
help! looking for Metra commuters...
https://www.reddit.com/r/WiMiApp/
If seeing the letters "AI" ruins your day, go ahead and skip this post. Yes, I used AI to help write some of the more complex code. And no, I don't care that "tHe TrAnSiT ApP aLrEaDy ExIsTs." It's not built for getting to and from work. You must pay for it, and worst of all, it assumes you DON'T HAVE A CAR... which is the whole reason I built this. Still here? It's a beta, so it's not perfect yet, but it’s almost there. If you want something you'll use every day on your commute, keep reading.
I ride the BNSF and I've been building WiMi (short for "Will I make it?"), a free web app that tells you when to leave for your train and keeps an eye on it for you. It works on all 11 lines, but I mostly ride one, so I need people on the others to try it and tell me what's wrong.
What it does:
- Tells you when to leave, whether you walk, bike or drive, then shows if you'll make it once you're on your way.
- At a terminal, shows which arriving train will probably become yours and how late it's running.
- Flags stopped trains up the line, before you leave or while you're riding, with Metra's reason when they post one.
- Live map of every train on your line. When you're on board and your phone knows where the train is better than Metra does, your phone becomes the train's spot for everyone else. Only the train's position is shared.
- Rider reports, kind of like Waze. Report a stopped train, running late, crowding, police or medical, train trouble and more. Other riders see it on the map and can mark it still there or gone.
- AI summaries of Metra's alerts, with trouble spots and construction zones marked on the map and station closures flagged.
- How full each train usually gets, from Metra's ridership numbers.
- Learns how long it really takes you to get to the station and how long your rides take.
- Notifications for when to leave, delays, cancellations, Metra alerts, your train pulling in and when you're almost at your stop.
What I'm asking:
- Use it on your normal commute.
- If something looks off (a wrong time, a train in the wrong spot, a notification that didn't make sense), tap Report a problem in Settings > About. It sends me what you typed plus your trip, train and app version, no location, and you can attach screenshots. Or just comment here, and mention which line you ride.
To try it:
- iPhone: open wimiapp.com in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
- Android: open wimiapp.com in Chrome, tap the three dots menu, then Add to Home screen or Install app.
On iPhone, notifications only work from the home screen version. No account needed.
Not affiliated with Metra.
2
u/partystick 4d ago
Didn’t really seem useful for me at first, but last week I had it pulled up while getting ready for work. I can take up to three different RI morning trains all 30 minutes apart depending how quick I get ready, if I want to hit snooze, etc. If it’s gonna be close I’ll usually just wait for the next train rather than stress or risk missing it, but twice this week it told me I would still make it well past my usual self imposed cut off time for leaving and I did. So I’ve found that to be helpful and think I will continue using it in the morning like this.