An Apt App for Subway Riders

Last month, while waiting to catch a subway train beneath San Francisco's Financial District, I found myself in the presence of an elderly couple that had been standing beside the tracks for some time. The husband was weighed down with groceries and his wife had her hands full with a purse, a cellphone, keys and a case for reading glasses.

I overheard the man murmur to his wife, impatience evident in his shaky voice, "Ask the person next to you if the M line is running today or not." The wife did as she was told and a young woman responded, "Yes."

The train arrived six minutes later, just as a mobile application on my smartphone had promised. It's an app I use frequently so that I never have to wait long for the M line and so that I never just miss a train.

Once we boarded I found a seat near the couple so that I could share with them the existence of the app. It would simplify their lives, of that I was sure. After a few moments of small talk, I asked the husband how long had he and his wife been waiting for the train.

"We were here for 18 to 20 minutes," he said with displeasure. I responded by telling the couple that a mobile app existed that gives the current arrival times of the M line and informs users of service delays. 

The couple's faces lit up with the news. In a sweet voice the wife asked if I'd be so kind as to place the app on their phones. I said I delighted to help and was rewarded with big smiles from the woman and her husband. Those smiles gave me a feeling of contentment I can't put into words.

After downloading the app on both of their phones and spending five minutes or so explaining how to use it, the couple told me that I reminded me of their granddaughter, who lived in New York.

The encounter made my day. It left me with peace and happiness, and I assume that my simple act of kindness made their lives thereafter easier than usual.