Currently, there are several approaches to Mobile Application Development going on in NYC:

1. Private companies, such as publishing houses, are paying Mobile Developers $10′s of $1000′s of dollars to develop top-quality mobile applications for a variety of reasons – extend reach, add features, create additional revenue streams.

2. Mayor Bloomberg has spearheaded a remarkably forward-looking program known as the ‘Big Apps’ initiative, which seeks to put all public service data online for developers to create mobile applications for for free! NYC is also giving an AWARD to the developer who creates the best Mobile Application from the city data!

3. MTA, to the best of my knowledge, has absolutely no internal initiatives whatsoever to develop top-level standalone mobile apps for NYC Transit Passengers. Instead, they have been hunting down developers of MTA apps and trying to wrestle licensing fees out of them.

Make no doubt about it – this is the crap you run into when you decide to have a private company run your transit system, instead of making it a government-run service. Basic data services the public has a right to use as they please become licensing cash cows under MTA’s lock and key!

I have been in contact with Ms. Hoke at Mayor Bloomberg’s office, and she has directed me to this form which explicitly requests NYC to include third parties (MTA is mentioned specifically) to participate in the Big Apps program.

This is such a great time to be a commuter in NYC when you see what is happening in the Mobile Application development world – but the MTA-related apps on the market today just barely scratch the surface of what would be possible if EVERY developer had FREE access to ALL of MTA’s resources, and MTA removed the constant threat of litigation.

If MTA continues to only license its data to those foolish enough to accept their terms, the capabilities of NYC Transit Applications will be forever marginalized, as they are today.

If you’re a developer, download and submit the form today – deadline is Sept. 1st!

[UPDATE]
So, what you want to do is fill out the form, which will give you access to download the PDF form (city government paper pushing – gotta love it!). The PDF form really just gives you instructions on how to address and form a letter to make the request.

Here is how mine reads – you can fee free to cut and paste from it as you wish:

RFEI REQUEST

Dear Ms. Catalano,

My name is Chris Schoenfeld, and I am currently an iPhone Application Developer. One of my iTunes store applications, ‘StationStops for iPhone’, provides scheduling and other information for Metro-North commuters.

I would propose that the following data be released in the database formats already possessed by MTA. All scheduling data should be updated in a timely fashion so that scheduling changes can be implemented prior to the effective date, to prevent passenger confusion and misdirection:

1. All LIRR schedules, maps, fare data, and station GPS coordinates
2. All Metro-North schedules, maps, fare data, and station GPS coordinates
3. All subway schedules, maps, fare data, and station GPS coordinates
4. All bus schedules, maps, fare data, and stop GPS coordinates

In addition, MTA must release its copyright on any imagery of its publicly accessible areas for use in mobile application development. For example, if images of the interior of Grand Central Station are used to help mobile application users orient and navigate to the correct track for departure, MTA must not pursue litigation based on any trademarks of that landmark (such as the Grand Central Clock).

In addition, Mobile developers or photographers under hire for Mobile Developers shall not be banned, hassled, or otherwise prohibited from taking any required image or video capture in MTA public spaces.

Finally, MTA should provide web-based programmatic access to essential realtime information, including:

1. Track departure information
2. Delays or expected future service disruption
3. Emergency notifications
4. Schedule changes to any service which was not available in scheduling updates
5. Any and all other information useful to passengers of MTA services

Finally, MTA should agree not to pursue litigation against any mobile developer who uses any other publicly-available data presented on the MTA website in order to provide reasonable and useful passenger data services to their users.

Thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.