Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Transit

3rd Street bus lane in San Francisco. Photo: SFMTA

The Magic of Red Painted Bus Lanes

By Angie Schmidt | Jun 10, 2019

Drivers may be seeing red, but bus drivers are seeing only green. Washington, D.C.’s new red-painted bus-only lanes on H and I streets downtown appear to be a success just one week in, with buses are moving faster, and most drivers are following the rules and staying out of their way, according to a quick, […]

MIT Study: High Fares Limit Low-Income Households’ Mobility

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 10, 2019 | 3 Comments

A team of MIT researchers today announced the results of a study that concluded that a discounted transit fare for low-income households could offer significant benefits to those households without necessarily contributing to peak-hour crowding in the MBTA system. In a new whitepaper, “How Low-income Transit Riders in Boston Respond to Discounted Fares: A Randomized […]

The proposed Red/Blue connection would extend the downtown terminus of the Blue Line a few blocks westward to link with the Red Line, and a major transit destination, at Charles/MGH.

Transit Advocates Press State to Build Long-Awaited Blue Line/Red Line Connection

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 7, 2019

A quarter of a century ago, Massachusetts promised environmentalists a broad array of transit improvements in order to mitigate air pollution impacts from the “Big Dig” highway expansion. Among those commitments was a short extension to the Blue Line, tunneling a few blocks westward under Cambridge Street, to enable direct transfers to the Red Line […]

A new Orange Line car on a flatbed truck in early 2019. Courtesy of the MBTA.

New Orange Line Cars Have Been Just a Few Months Away for Nearly a Year

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 3, 2019

The Orange Line’s vehicles were built during Jimmy Carter’s presidency, between 1979 and 1980, and they are overdue for retirement. In 2016, the T ordered new cars to replace aging fleets on the Orange and Red Lines (the new Orange Line vehicles are coming first, with the new Red Line cars scheduled to start rolling about […]

A WRTA bus in front of City Hall in downtown Worcester. Courtesy of WRTA.

Worcester’s Transit Agency Considers Ditching the Farebox

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 3, 2019 | 4 Comments

Fares contribute a relatively small portion of Worcester's transit budget, so going fare-free would be a low-cost way to attract many more riders, argues a local public policy research group.