Questions

What is MinutesBack?

A text message that tells you when to leave for your MARC train. It watches the live MARC feed, and when your train slips it texts you to stay put. When it is time to go it texts "leave now", timed to your walk or drive. No app. Nothing to download.

How do I sign up?

Text one sentence to the MinutesBack number: your station, the trains you usually catch, and how far you are from the platform. "10 min walk from Kensington, trains between 7:30 and 8:10 to DC" is enough. If you don't know your minutes, send your address and say walk, drive, or bike.

What does it cost?

Free for 14 days, no card needed. Then $39/year or $4.99/month. Text BILLING to subscribe or manage billing. Reply STOP to stop texts.

How many texts will I get?

Two on a normal day: one in the morning and one in the evening. A bad day, with a late or cancelled train, is three or four for that trip. We cap it at four per trip. Quiet means your trains are on time.

What if I miss my train?

Text MISSED. We start watching the next train you could catch and send a fresh "leave now". You can also tap "Missed it" on your commute page.

What is the commute page?

A private link we text you when you sign up. It shows your morning and evening trains with live status, lets you change trains, your walk time, and your window, and has one-tap buttons for Off today and On the train. Keep the link to yourself. Anyone who has it can change your settings. Text STATUS any time for a fresh one.

I'm away for a while. How do I stop the texts and start them again?

Text PAUSE, or tap Away on your commute page. Nothing is sent until you come back, and your commute settings stay exactly as they were. Text RESUME the night before your first ride back and the alerts start again. You can also tap "I'm back" on your commute page. PAUSE is the one to use for a vacation. STOP is permanent and deletes your setup.

What happens when I text STOP?

Every text stops right away. We delete your commute settings and close your settings page. We keep a record that your number opted out, and when, so we never text it again and so we can show we stopped. The messages you sent us expire after 180 days. Text START if you want to come back. You set up your commute again from scratch.

What if it isn't worth it?

Not worth it? Text REFUND within 30 days of your first payment and we refund it in full. No questions. Matt issues it himself, usually the same day.

What if you get the timing wrong?

Text MISSED and we start watching the next train you can catch. If the leave-by keeps coming out wrong, tap Locate on your commute page so we measure your walk instead of guessing, or text HELP and a person looks at it.

Do you track my location?

No. If you use "Locate" on your commute page, your phone asks permission once, we turn that one position into minutes to your platform, and we save the minutes. We never see where you are after that.

Can I use this without a smartphone?

Yes. Every feature works by text: OFF TODAY, ON THE TRAIN, MISSED, PAUSE, RESUME, STATUS, STOP, a train number like 878 to hear only about that train today, and a new sentence to change your commute. The commute page is a convenience, not a requirement.

Which stations?

Every MARC station on the Brunswick, Penn, and Camden lines, in either direction. The evening trip is timed from your desk to the station you board at.

Is this an official MTA product?

No. MinutesBack is an independent product of Automation Vita LLC. It uses the public schedule and real-time feeds the Maryland Transit Administration publishes. Train data can be wrong or late. Check your platform.

Who do I talk to?

Text HELP and a person answers the same day. Or email matt@automationvita.com.