Tracking Transportation

Keeping track of transportation

TNCs existential threat to public transportation

Ride-hailing apps are a disruptive auto-centric technology

By James Aloisi MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments Jun 12, 2018

First of two parts ADVOCACY IS WHAT LIKE-MINDED people do, usually in an organized fashion, to effect change in the way government or public policy impacts their lives. Advocacy can take many forms and approaches, from energizing and activating people at the grassroots, to persuading decision makers at the grasstops, to knocking on doors in(...)

T notes: Bus drivers not easy to hire

Grumbling about the 111; no worries on West Station

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Jun 11, 2018

THE MBTA APPEARS to be having difficulty recruiting new bus drivers and keeping existing ones healthy and on the job. Bonnie Haase, the T’s assistant general manager for human resources, told the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday that the transit agency is having problems recruiting bus drivers who can survive the testing and(...)

Hey mayors, focus on transportation

Reprioritize the use of city streets away from private cars

By Mary Skelton Roberts Transportation 0 Comments Jun 7, 2018

TODAY, GLOBAL AND NATIONAL MAYORS will convene in Boston to advance shared solutions around climate change. By 2030, more than 60 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. Mayors will increasingly have more opportunity – and a deeper responsibility – to lead on climate change. Boston has been a leader in planning for(...)

T notes: Uber, Lyft keep growing at the T

North-South Rail Link study coming this month

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Jun 4, 2018

THE MBTA’S PARATRANSIT PARTNERSHIP with Uber and Lyft is continuing to grow at a fairly rapid pace. Ben Schutzman, the T’s director of innovation and the overseer of the RIDE, the agency’s paratransit service, said the number of customers signed up to use the ride-hailing apps is growing 6 percent a month while the number(...)

MBTA takes a run at overnight service

Pilot will use buses only, target low-income workers

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments Jun 4, 2018

THE MBTA, which scrubbed its previous incarnation of late-night service in March 2016, is trying again, but this time using a cautious, incremental approach that will rely exclusively on buses and target employees working odd-hour shifts at the airport, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and other businesses that work through the night. The T’s Fiscal and Management(...)

Mattapan trolley report delayed again

MBTA puts off release until end of year

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments May 30, 2018

A CONSULTANT’S REPORT on what to do with the MBTA’s Mattapan trolley line has been delayed again, pushed back until the end of this year. Jeffrey Gonneville, the T’s chief operating officer, told the Fiscal and Management Control Board earlier this month that the report would be finished by early June or July. On Wednesday,(...)

MBTA’s unfair rail fares need to change

Current prices based on 1900s-era approach

By Ari Ofsevit and Michelle Wu MBTA, Transportation 0 Comments May 26, 2018

EVERY DAY, more than 100,000 people ride the commuter rail in and around Boston, headed not just to work, but also to shop, spend time with family and friends, make medical appointments, and attend cultural or sporting events. Today more than ever, mobility across our growing region is fundamental for equitable access to jobs, healthcare,(...)

‘A surprisingly good idea’ from the T

New, flat weekend fare offers lots of opportunities

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments May 25, 2018

THE MBTA may finally be starting to get it. After years and years of running weekend commuter rail trains that very few people ride, the T this week decided to do something about it. The Fiscal and Management Control Board voted to offer a special fare this summer that allows passengers to take as many(...)

T notes: Pension costs raise concerns

Citizens Bank contract to boost interest income

By Bruce Mohl MBTA 0 Comments May 21, 2018

MBTA OFFICIALS say they expect to hold the line on expense growth this fiscal year, but they are worried about rising pension costs and a push in the Legislature to limit the transit authority’s control over above-ground digital advertising displays near stations. Michael Abramo, the T’s chief administrator, said expenses (excluding debt costs) are expected(...)

T approves $10 weekend commuter rail pass

Can a low fare attract more riders on Saturdays and Sundays?