Tag Archives: MBTA

Starting one month from today, bus service in Boston will get a significant boost. Earlier this summer the MBTA announced that they would add nearly 300 more bus trips each week, to give riders more options and to provide more access to Boston’s Logan Airport.

The additional trips will build on an extension of late-night/early-morning service that started this past April; some bus routes now start as early as 3:20AM. Late night service will roll-out on September 1 and ridership will be evaluated in December 2018, and again in April and June 2019 to determine if late night ridership warrants continued service or should be expanded. Assuming the late night service is a success that will mean parts of the city will have nearly 24-hour service; something that is long overdue in my opinion.

You can read the MBTA analysis and plans in their June 4th, Late Night Proposal and Early Morning Service Update.

The MBTA’s failure to provide late night service opens the door for services like Uber to roll out $5 flat fares starting this weekend.

Angry with the MBTA for ending late night service on the weekends?  Uber has stepped up to the plate and will be offering $5 flat fares for trips along the MBTA subway lines on its uberPool service starting March 19th and running through April 9th. The following is from the Uber Newsroom earlier this month.

The end of late night service on the T will have an impact on thousands of people who will be seeking an alternative safe ride home during early hours. In an effort to continue connecting Bostonians to the people, places, and businesses they love, we will be offering $5 uberPOOL rides along T subway lines during late night hours for four weekends starting on March 19th.

Watch for updates here.

Tomorrow evening, Thursday, March 5th Massachusetts Department of Transportation will host a hearing for the public to share their thoughts on extending the MBTA’s late-night weekend train and bus service beyond the June 19th pilot end date.  MassDOT’s recommendation will be based on data & public input.  If you support the idea of maintaining the late-night service it is important that you attend the forum.

What: MBTA late-night weekend train and bus service
When: Thursday, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Boston City Hall 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA

For more information check out the event’s Facebook page here.

Last month I wrote that the 1 year trial of late night MBTA service was being evaluated and that its future was in question.  Late night service started on March 28, 2014 and earlier this month the MBTA announced that they would extend the service for an additional 3 months to June 19, 2015.

According to the MBTA, late night service, which runs on Friday and Saturday night, has supplied more than 1.1 million rides. That is pretty impressive if you think that the MBTA late night service only accounts for 3 additional hours of service each week.  That 1.1 million rides then breaks down to approximately 12,500 – 13,000 riders who took the MBTA late night service over the past 44 weekends, which seems like a lot of people to me.  The MBTA has never shared a projected ridership, so it is hard to tell what is considered “successful”. If you want to keep the MBTA late night service, I’d encourage you to continue to use it.

Late last week Boston Magazine reported that the fate of the MBTA’s late-night weekend service was being reviewed.  The one year pilot program that started in April 2014 needs to be extended if late night weekend service is to continue through 2015.

Since service started last April 820,000 customers have used the MBTA’s late-night service between the hours of 12:30 and 3:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. According to MBTA spokesman, Joe Pesaturo a recommendation will be made in the coming weeks.

Fingers crossed that late night service will be extended.

Once upon a time the MBTA made a halfhearted attempt to provide a limited late night transit service on weekends called the “Night Owl”, but the popular program was axed as a cost cutting measure some 6-years ago.

Now The Boston Herald is reporting the Restaurant and Business Alliance is pushing to have late night service reinstated.  I’ve been a long-time fan of extending public transportation hours and making the existing system more available.  Thousands of employees work during hours that T service is not available. However, finding a way to pay for this additional service is a legitimate concern.  In the article acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis is quoted as saying its simply too expensive.  I’d like a more novel approach and put the concept out to bid for ideas on how to make this work.  It seems if we can figure out how to fly a man to the Moon, we can pay for late night public transportation – its merely a matter of priorities.

The full article in the Boston Herald can be read here.