Transit
News topics:
Fare-Free Buses Gain Momentum on Beacon Hill
Two bills currently in the Massachusetts Senate would eliminate fare collection on some or all of the state's bus routes.
March 25, 2021
‘Do Not Track’ Report Offers Privacy Guidance for the T’s New Fare System
The MBTA’s new fare payment system will potentially collect a lot more personal data from riders and their cellphones, and a new report offers advice for how riders can protect their privacy.
March 24, 2021
New ‘Controlling Criteria’ Will Require Sidewalks, Bike Lanes In State Road Projects
The newly-adopted controlling criteria for bike, pedestrian, and transit facilities lay out minimum standards to help ensure that all roadway users are considered from the beginning of a project's design process.
March 22, 2021
T Service Cuts Take Effect; Riders React to Crowded Trains, Missing Buses
“I’ve talked to my colleagues and they are furious about this,” said 8th district Congressman Stephen Lynch, who helped pass the American Rescue Plan relief bill in Washington just days before the service cuts took effect.
March 15, 2021
Could An Infrastructure Stimulus Fund High-Speed Rail for New England?
The North Atlantic Rail initiative is seeking a $105 billion investment for "a rail-enabled economic transformation strategy."
March 3, 2021
MBTA Board Updates: Advocates Press for Another Tobin Bridge Bus Lane
The MassDOT Board of Directors and the MTBA Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) held a joint meeting on Monday afternoon with updates on planned transit service cuts, construction projects, and post-pandemic ridership projections. Here's our roundup:
February 22, 2021
RI’s Kennedy Plaza Plan Faces Civil Rights Challenge
The complaint alleges that "the RIDOT plan to dismantle the central bus hub in Kennedy Plaza... will impose additional and unnecessary transfers, longer commute times and system confusion for thousands of riders."
February 9, 2021
Cambridge Starts Planning for Bus, Bike Improvements Through Porter Square
Joseph Barr, Cambridge Director of Traffic, Parking, and Transportation, wrote in a memo to the City Council that the city is "in the process of hiring a consultant to support the design of quick-build separated bike lanes along Massachusetts Avenue from Roseland Street to Beech Street through Porter Square."
February 5, 2021
Baker’s Climate Plans Presume A Future With Lots of Driving
Governor Baker's climate plan focuses most of its attention on subsidizing electric car purchases, and generally dismisses the potential of reducing pollution with transit-oriented development or expanded transit services.
January 18, 2021
Higher Uber/Lyft Fees Could Boost Funding for Street Safety and Transit
Historically, municipalities have used their share of fees on Uber and Lyft to finance local transportation improvements, including quick-build safety projects and small transit services. Under new legislation awaiting Governor Baker's signature, that funding could increase significantly.
January 14, 2021
