What was WMATA thinking?!

I don't use the Metro that much anymore with the new job, but I still like to keep tabs on what's going on, especially since @UnSuckDCMetro has retweeted me a lot. Generally I think WMATA (Washington Metro  something Transit Association I think?) gets a bad rap and does a pretty decent job, but these social media sins are unforgivable. I'll let the tweets tell the story.

Metro launches new Twitter feeds to better serve riders. Details: http://t.co/JZ5CSGeAtt #wmata @metrorailinfo @metrobusinfo @metrotransitpd
— @wmata (@wmata) July 10, 2013

.@wmata no longer provides service updates. Please follow our new accounts - @metrorailinfo & @metrobusinfo - for this info! #wmata
— @wmata (@wmata) July 10, 2013

Telling 50,000 people to unfollow. Another masterstroke by the social media trailblazers at Metro. #wmata #moreisbetter
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) July 10, 2013

@Jaddams this is metro we're talking about here
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) July 10, 2013

Some free social media advice for #wmata: Ditching 44,000 followers who devotedly follow your feed for crucial info is a bad idea. BAD IDEA.
— Justin Karp (@jskarp) July 10, 2013

.@bsabatinelli Twitter alert: Followers migrating to new accounts. Delays continue in the direction of everywhere. #wmata
— Justin Karp (@jskarp) July 10, 2013

.@elaitin @fixwmata I for one look forward to all of #wmata's service updates on MySpace.
— Justin Karp (@jskarp) July 10, 2013 

So - in light of #WMATA's new social media changes I present this email from just a few weeks ago: pic.twitter.com/rjmMsWtps5
— FixWMATA (@FixWMATA) July 10, 2013

@DPMTransitAudit How do you not provide proper caps on your Twitter accounts? Metrorailinfo instead of MetroRailInfo - horrible.
— FixWMATA (@FixWMATA) July 10, 2013

.@wmata is offloading due to a social media problem. We apologize for any inconvenience.
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) July 10, 2013

I guess @dstessel is in charge of this one. #WMATA #LockDown pic.twitter.com/zNzNhqP3SN
— FixWMATA (@FixWMATA) July 10, 2013

Guess who's been blocked from ALL #WMATA twitter accounts: pic.twitter.com/9naI0H6D9f
— FixWMATA (@FixWMATA) July 10, 2013

It has LITERALLY come down to a government agency blocking a taxpayer from receiving safety information. @DebraAlfarone #WMATA
— FixWMATA (@FixWMATA) July 10, 2013

Disabled train at twinbrook and no @wmata tweet.
— Matthew Rydzik (@CoasterBGW) July 10, 2013

There are now three more Metro Twitter accounts to follow, and yes, @FixWMATA has been blocked by all of them. http://t.co/fUQdLOsQY5
— DCist (@DCist) July 10, 2013

And then this happened (our boy @FixWMATA is in the red plaid shirt):

I scanned Twitter today for updates but didn't come up with many -- obviously WMATA is way more concerned with the horrible delay last night than how the Twitter thing could turn the situation into a PR nightmare. (In 2011, DC was named the nation's "Top Twitter Town" -- riders are privy to this stuff, y'all!) But @FixWMATA recapped the day's events with some commentary here.

My feeling is WMATA needs a lot of help in their PR department, but overall I think they get criticized more harshly than necessary. I'd still rather ride on Metro than the NYC Subway any day, and if I had the choice between Metro and my car, I'd choose Metro. Unless I had to ride on the Red Line.