Feature Release: TransitChat Assignments

At TransitChat, we focus on the real work that gets done at transit agencies every day, this kind of work that doesn’t always show up in reports, KPIs, or dashboards.

The who, where, when and why of what happened in transit operations is often not documented and this type of data is what makes up the institutional knowledge in your organization.

It’s in the processing of customer complaints.
It’s in the site visits to check on a broken shelter.
It’s in the dozens of conversations that happen between planning, scheduling, and operations to figure out how to deal with a detour.

These tasks are usually coordinated over email or in hallway conversations, but what’s often missing is follow-through and documentation.

Assignments

We started off with the humble email building out ways for transit to document communications between different departments. But with every conversation there are things that need to get done, people to be held accountable and objectives to measure.

Every message thread hides something deeper:
🧾 A task that needs to be done.
👥 A person who’s responsible.
📈 A measurable outcome.

That's why when we started taking a look at the humble to do list we knew that we had to build on top of what was already there and not create just another feature.

By design, Assignments are meant to help agencies link expectations, communications, and action items. We want workers to feel like they can go to the source of the issue to find out what without a phone call and managers the ability to trust the work will get done right.

Being able to link exactly what Conversations is associated with this assignment not only allows assignee's to see the context, but it allows users to quickly jump to the Assignment and see the current status.

A Different Kind of "Link"

We often talk about how this work that agencies do does not live in a vacuum. The Assignments that are being tasked are mostly likely not only related to a Conversation that you had, but also a Stop, Route, Department (Schedule Changes and Files Coming soon).

This type of linking between items not only allows for a better user experience that seamlessly allows users to flip between the different items that need to get done, but it also creates a searchable catalogue of communications, updates and documentation.

Every Assignment can be connected not only to a Conversation, but to:

• 🛑 A Stop
• 🚍 A Route
• 🧑‍💼 A Department
• 📅 A Schedule Change (coming soon)

This turns the typical inbox into a searchable index of action. You can search a stop and see:

• The service change that affected it
• The complaints that came in
• The internal conversation about how to fix it
• The person assigned to take care of it—and whether they did

It’s About Time Transit Tools Reflected Transit Work

TransitChat is built on the belief that transit isn’t just data and schedules—it’s people solving problems in real time.

We’re not building tools that just file away emails. We’re building tools that capture the knowledge, decisions, and actions that make your agency run.

Assignments are just the beginning

We are still working on how we are going to turn the real work for transit agencies into automated documentation and are looking for agency partners that are interested in working with us to build the future of the platform. Get in touch with us to take a look at our work.