Every barrier has a time cost.

MinuteMap feature details

• Compare ordinary and step-free journeys
• Use Map for station access and travel-time reach
• Find Live elevator status and Station accessibility under More
• Review station classifications and direction notes
• Check current reported elevator conditions
• Monitor a saved journey with Route Guardian
• Inspect sources, methodology, and research
• Adjust text, typeface, and contrast preferences

Wheelchair and step-free travel help

Plan the complete journey, open every important station record, check current elevator reports close to travel, review the return direction, and confirm current official information. MinuteMap cannot observe every curb, gap, crowd, vehicle, street condition, temporary obstruction, or unreported equipment condition.

The step-free chain

• A usable street entrance
• A continuous internal pathway
• Access to the correct direction and platform
• Available required elevators
• Supportable transfers and destination access

Why MinuteMap: 30 documented distinctions

MinuteMap measures added travel time, exposes journey-level accessibility evidence, monitors saved journeys, and publishes its research boundary. Its comparison with StepFree NYC, Citymapper, and Rampd acknowledges documented overlap and uses not documented only for capabilities not found in the reviewed public materials.

• Six accessibility time-cost comparisons
• Six complete-journey verification comparisons
• Six live-evidence and uncertainty comparisons
• Six Route Guardian and recovery comparisons
• Six public transparency and reading-access comparisons

What is MinuteMap NYC?

MinuteMap NYC is an independent civic-technology and transportation research project. It compares ordinary transit journeys with accessibility-constrained journeys to study how inaccessible infrastructure can add time, transfers, and uncertainty.

Who is MinuteMap designed to help?

MinuteMap is designed for wheelchair users, people who avoid stairs, riders traveling with mobility devices, caregivers, older adults, families with strollers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and anyone who needs clearer step-free transit information.

What does step-free mean on MinuteMap?

Step-free means a journey is planned without requiring stairs where MinuteMap has supportable accessibility evidence. Origins, destinations, transfers, travel direction, internal pathways, and required elevators can all matter.

Does an accessible station guarantee an accessible journey?

No. A station classification alone does not guarantee that the correct entrance, direction, platform, transfer, elevator, street approach, or vehicle boarding condition will work for a particular trip.

How does the accessible route comparison work?

The planner calculates an ordinary journey and an accessibility-constrained journey using the same routing framework, then shows additional minutes, transfers, dependencies, and supported alternatives.

Why can a step-free route take longer?

A step-free journey may require a different station, direction, transfer, transit mode, or walking connection. MinuteMap expresses the difference in minutes so the impact is visible and comparable.

Where does the accessibility information come from?

Station inventory and classifications come from official transit-agency datasets. Current elevator and escalator information comes from official equipment feeds. MinuteMap labels its own calculations separately.

What happens when live accessibility data is unavailable?

MinuteMap labels live, cached, modeled, estimated, and unavailable evidence separately. Missing or stale information is not silently treated as proof that a path is available.

What does Route Guardian do?

Route Guardian lets signed-in users save a journey for recurring checks, focuses on journey-relevant changes, and looks for supportable alternatives according to the user's notification settings.

Can I report incorrect station accessibility information?

Yes. Open the relevant station accessibility page and use the Report inaccurate accessibility information control. Reports are reviewed against the official source before public information is changed.

Is MinuteMap affiliated with the MTA?

No. MinuteMap NYC is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Always check current official information before traveling.

Where can I follow MinuteMap updates?

Product and methodology changes are recorded in the MinuteMap Updates log. The official Instagram account is @minutemapnyc.

How does MinuteMap compare with StepFree NYC, Citymapper, and Rampd?

MinuteMap's distinctive focus is measuring the time cost of inaccessible transit, exposing journey-level accessibility evidence, and publishing its methodology and research. The comparison also acknowledges features the other products publicly describe.

Is the MinuteMap comparison affiliated with those products?

No. StepFree NYC, Citymapper, and Rampd are identified only to make a factual product comparison. MinuteMap is not affiliated with or endorsed by them, and each name and trademark belongs to its respective owner.

Follow and correct MinuteMap

Follow @minutemapnyc on Instagram for public project updates. To report an accessibility correction, open the relevant station page and use its correction control.