Quick Start Guide

How to get started with TransitChat

Getting Setup

Accepting Your Invitation & Setting Up Your Account

1. Locate the Invite Email
   
   • When an admin adds you to an agency, you’ll receive an email invitation.
   • Click the “Accept Invite to Agency” link.
2. Log In / Set Your Password
   
   • If prompted, enter your email and set a new password.

Add messages to the Inbox

Getting Messages into the Inbox

1. Send a test message into the platform
   
   • From your email, send a message to [email protected]. Inbox will be your new best friend in helping you stay organized
2. Accessing the Inbox
   
   • Once logged in, you’ll see a green “Inbox” button next to the agency name in the top navigation bar.
   • Click Inbox to go to your TransitChat message feed.
     

The Inbox

1. Inbox View
   
   • The Inbox is where messages sent into the platform by default, and is in a list view in descending chronological order
   • New messages are tagged only with the Inbox tag and require your attention to aid organization
   • Simply click on your message to expand the view and start tagging

Adding Routes, Stops, and Categories to your Message

Tagging Messages

Adding tagging to messages is easy in TransitChat. Your tagging is powered by your GTFS feed, which your account team will configure prior to your first login

1. Categories / Channels are organizational tools to help you give context to messages. By default, your agency has 4 basic categories, but can be customized. To add a category to your message:

   • Click on the “Type to search” bar in the right-hand panel under the “Category” heading to search for the correct category.
   • Start typing the name of the desired category
   • Once found, simply click on the category to assign to the message; you can add as many categories as you’d like
   • Best practice: Delete the category “Inbox” once you have assigned better categories

2. Routes come straight from your GTFS routes.txt file. By default, the Route Long Name is displayed and will be used to search. Adding “Routes” to the message is also easy:

   • Click on the “Type to search” bar under “Route”
   • Start typing the name of the desired Route (remember its the Long Name)
   • Once found, simply click on the correct route associated with the message; you can assign as many as needed

3. Stops are from stops.txt from your GTFS). By default, the Stop Name is displayed and you should use this to search the Stop Name or Stop ID. To add Stops to your message:

   • Click on the “Type to search” bar under “Stop Name”
   • Start typing the name of the desired Stop (again the long name)
   • Seeing a pattern here? Click on the desired Stop to add it to the message; as many as needed

Once your Message is tagged, it should appear similar to this. The map displays all tagged Stops once a Stop is added:

Congrats! Your raw, untagged message is now full of context to help you stay organized. Your email message is now a “Conversation”; the building block of TransitChat. TransitChat has many additional features in Conversations, as well as the ability to group Conversations into Topics. Please consult the more detailed articles on each of these areas for a full explanation of the features.