That irritatingly metallic voice telling New York subway riders to "please be patient" while your train's being delayed for what seems like an ungodly amount of time will soon be phased out for something more apologetic. According to the New York Post, in place of the message informing you to hold your temper during disruptions will be some version of a "sorry" from the Metro Transportation Authority:

...new automated announcements come with an actual apology from the MTA. Others -- like the announcements used when the train is stopped for a police investigation -- go so far as to thank passengers for their patience.

"Over the years, we have received some complaints from customers, who interpreted the messages as an admonishment," said Kevin Ortiz, an MTA spokesman. Because of that, they recently switched to the less accusatory announcements, he said.

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Erik Hayden