WASHINGTON — What appeared to be an effort from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to engage with its customers through social media, was actually a well-informed Twitter campaign that had no connection to the transit authority.
The @AskWMATA Twitter account, which is now suspended, was in no way supported by the transit authority, a WMATA spokesperson said Thursday.
The account tweeted helpful information about Metro services and responded to customer complaints and questions. The account, which appeared to have been started Wednesday, tweeted pictures of customers as well.
Realistic in tone and presentation, the account identified itself as a WMATA-affiliated account.
The account was suspended Thursday morning and all of its tweets were deleted.
During the almost 24 hours the @AskWMATA account was active, it responded to several customer complaints and tweeted more than 100 times.
Is this real? Metro is stepping up it's game… MT @askwmata: Yikes! We don't like baking our customers so we'll be sure to get on it! …
— Paul D. Shinkman (@PDShinkman) May 29, 2014
If @askwmata is real, they are a refreshing addition! Charming, down to earth, and friendly approach. #wmata
— Rich Frangiamore (@auburntigerrich) May 29, 2014
@askwmata How often are trains inspected for mechanical problems? B/c it seems like many are being deployed with obvious issues. #wmata
— Disgruntled Rider (@MetroRage) May 29, 2014
It’s not clear who ran the @AskWMATA account.
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