It sure beats having to forge a doctor’s note.
Straphangers late for work because of subway delays are now a few clicks away from proving to their bosses that they are not oversleeping slackers.
The MTA unveiled on its Web site yesterday a service that can provide commuters an official verification of a train delay. The service is a much-needed improvement over the old system, which required people to write in to or call the agency.
It usually takes five to 15 business days for the verification to be e-mailed to the rider — and the request’s progress can be checked with a tracking number that’s provided immediately.
The site asks straphangers for details about the subway station they entered and exited, along with transfer information. They can also write a description of “what happened” during the trip.
Riders have to enter their names and e-mail addresses.
The service was already popular in its snail-mail/phone form.
In 2007, 34,426 asked for excuse letters, followed by 32,781 in 2008 and 36,657 in 2009.
So far this year, 13,262 people have asked for verifications.
Customer-service units process about 3,000 delay-verification requests each month.
The letters, printed on NYC Transit letterhead, generally describe the maximum delay a certain line experienced during certain hours in the morning.
The online form allows riders to get information on delays that happened within the past 90 days.
If the delay dates back further than 90 days, a rider will have to submit a Freedom of Information Law request.
“While we do our best to make sure every trip is on time, things can and do happen. With this new service, any rider who needs it can easily request and obtain the necessary delay documentation for school or work,” said NYC Transit President Tom Prendergast.
Subway trains make about 8,000 trips during an average weekday, with close to 600 trains in operation during the height of the rush hour.
NYC Transit officials said track work, mechanical problems, sick customers and police investigations are inevitably going to hold up trains.