Transportation

Changes Planned to Some Watertown Bus Routes, MBTA Hosting Meeting Wednesday Night

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA announced changes to services beginning on Dec. 19, 2021, including decreased frequency and schedule changes for some bus lines serving Watertown. The 70 bus line from Waltham to the Central Square area in Cambridge will have decreased frequency during weekday mornings and afternoons, Saturday afternoons, and Sunday afternoons. The 504 express bus from Watertown Yard to Copley Square will have decrease frequency in the morning and afternoon.

Transportation

Changes to MBTA Bus Service to be Discussed at Virtual Meeting

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Charlie BreitroseBuses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The MBTA and MassDOT will host a virtual public meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, October 27, at 6 p.m. to discuss the Bus Network Redesign Project. An initiative of the Better Bus Project, the MBTA and MassDOT’s Bus Network Redesign Project is taking a look at the bus system as a whole in order to recommend a new network that better serves the needs of the region. The project’s second public meeting will present the approach and principles used by MassDOT and the MBTA to propose a transformed bus network through the Bus Network Redesign process.

Electric Buses

LETTER: Watertown Group Pushing for Faster Electrification of MBTA Buses

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. A new report calls on the MBTA to update the overhead wires and busses on Watertown’s 71 and 73 routes to InMotion charging as a first step to expanding this technology to other routes. The report “Bus Electrification Accelerating the Electrification of Bus Service in the Boston Metro Area” MBTAReport_Final2.pdf (sierraclub.org) by the Sierra Club, Transit Matters, and Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) along with 14 partner organizations calls the MBTA’s plans “too little too late.”

The MBTA current plan calls for the continued purchasing of hundreds of polluting diesel hybrid buses while gradually transitioning to overnight charging electric buses over the next two decades with full electrification by 2040. The report argues that depending solely on overnight charging short changes us and identifies two promising technologies — InMotion charging and EnRoute charging that should be part of the mix and an implementation rollout that would achieve full electrification by 2030, avoid hundreds of interim diesel hybrids, reduce emissions earlier, save money, serve environmental justice communities, and improve public health for all. It is convenient to use the upcoming Mt.

Transportation

Many MBTA Paratransit RIDE Trips from Logan Airport Will be Free

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The MBTA announced Sept. 29 that paratransit RIDE trips that originate from all Logan Airport terminals and end within three-quarter miles of the MBTA’s subway system will be free beginning Friday, October 1, 2021. This service complements the free transit service offered to riders on the fixed-route system from the airport. As the MBTA continually assesses transit equity, and to bring parity for the T’s paratransit riders, the MBTA is now offering free RIDE service for trips from Logan Airport to points on the fixed-route subway system. These RIDE trips from any Logan Airport terminal will be free beginning October 1 and will remain free as long as SL1 services from Logan Airport to South Station are free.

Around Town

MBTA Hosting Virtual Open House, Seeks Input to Improve Bus Service

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA sent out the following announcement:

As a reminder, please join us at the Better Bus Project Virtual Open House this Thursday, August 26, at 6:00PM. The Better Bus Project hopes to improve the bus experience for riders in the near future and over the next several years. Short presentations will be given by project teams from across the MBTA, including the following:  

Bus Transit PriorityBus Network Redesign Bus Stop Accessibility Improvements Bus Operations Silver Line ExtensionBus Electrification and Facility Modernization Bus Stop E-Ink Signs

Afterwards participants can expect to join a breakout room of their choosing to learn more about an initiative. Here attendants can engage with the project team further by asking questions or participating in a discussion. We are excited to share our knowledge and enthusiasm about these initiatives with you!

Buses

MBTA Seeks Input with Online Bus Network Redesign Travel Survey

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Charlie BreitroseMBTA Bus. The following information was provided by the MBTA:

Share Your Input with the Bus Network Redesign Travel Survey! 

We’d like to announce a new survey that will help us better understand what you need from the bus network. We want to create a better and more equitable bus network—to do that, we need your input: 

Does the MBTA take you where you need or want to go? When you need to get somewhere, is riding the MBTA a good option for you? 

You can provide your input into the future of the MBTA bus network by taking our survey at mbta.com/bnrdsurvey. To use the interactive features, please use a desktop or laptop computer. 

This survey has some features that may not be accessible to those using assistive technology, mobile devices, or tablets. A text-based version is available here. You can also call 1-857-366-1871 to take the survey over the phone.  

Buses

MBTA Holding Virtual Meeting on Redesigning Bus Network

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA announced it will host a meeting about its Better Bus Project, which will redesign its bus network. MBTA officials sent out the following announcement:

Virtual Public Meeting on June 8th  

We’d like to remind you of the Bus Network Redesign virtual public meeting on Tuesday, June 8 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

What will I learn at the meeting and how can I contribute?  

At this meeting, we will be presenting an overview of the Bus Network Redesign and what we have found so far.  Following a presentation, the team will be available to take feedback and answer questions.   

The meeting will be held online, via Zoom. To pre-register, please click this link:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsd-mvqjIiGNw-dx6bbtLcxMYYNGKrLG0w  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Upon joining you will be prompted to share your first name, last name, and email address.

Transportation

MBTA Extends Five-Day Pass, Proposes Change to Youth Pass

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An MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA today announced updates to current fare pilots that include an extension of the Five-day Flex Pass on mTicket as well as upcoming fare change proposals that include improvements to the Youth Pass and converting all Outer Express Bus Routes to Inner Express Bus fares. These changes help to improve reduced fare programs and simplify complex fares for both customers and operations. “We’re pleased to temporarily extend the availability of the Five-day Flex Pass, which has been a popular fare option for our Commuter Rail riders as travel patterns have adjusted and evolved during the pandemic,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “We’re also excited about our upcoming fare proposals that make improvements to the Youth Pass and Express Bus Route fares.