The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), launched Muni Alerts, real-time transit e-mail and SMS (text) alerts to allow transit customers to get the route information they want, when they want it.

Muni Alerts are part of a larger engagement effort, SFMTA Updates, which will launch later this month. SFMTA Updates will provide San Francisco residents and other stakeholders updates on the various plans and projects through www.sfmta.com.

“Muni’s 80 routes and lines keep this city running. When there’s a delay, our customers want the best information as quickly as possible,” said Tom Nolan, Chairman of the SFMTA board of directors. “Our ridership surveys show that reliability is key for our customers. When Muni service is disrupted, this kind of information is what our customers expect and deserve.”

“An agency of this size has a vast number of projects and initiatives to communicate about every day,” said Edward D. Reiskin, SFMTA director of transportation. “We are always looking for ways to provide our customers and partners convenient, timely information they need, whether it’s to make their commute easier or to help us plan the next bike route.”

Like many other transit systems and government agencies, the SFMTA has chosen a subscriber-driven service for alerts and updates that are meaningful to its customers. Muni Alerts will provide enhanced customer information by sending real-time alerts from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday for the specific routes and lines selected by the customer, at the time of day they choose. Customers will have the ability to change their subscription and unsubscribe through a link on every e-mail and on the agency’s website.

The e-mail and text system will also integrate with SFMTA social media to allow the agency’s primary Twitter account, @sfmta_muni, to continue providing the same updates.

The larger SFMTA Updates system will be rolled out over the rest of the year. SFMTA Updates will allow visitors to www.sfmta.com to select the alerts or updates on the agency’s initiatives and projects that they wish to receive. Subscribers will be asked to provide feedback as SFMTA improves and makes updates to the online system.