An editorial in the Globe today challenges the MBTA to take inspiration from Bridj, the start-up, bus company that is testing the market with service from Coolidge Corner — and “think about new ways to use data to improve it own customers’ experience.”
The implications of reinventing public transportation with a customer focus that has the capacity to react in real time are profound. Only about 30 percent of jobs are accessible in the Boston metro area to the average citizen in 90 minutes via transit, according to a 2011 report by the Brookings Institute. And Boston has the third-highest share of households without cars in the country. If the service is capable of spreading out to the suburbs, it could do a lot to relieve highway congestion — for there is nothing more inefficient that a single occupant driving to work.
Would you use a service like Bridj if it was available from near your home to your office? Do you use the MBTA buses now? And which part of Newton are most in need of improved mass transit right now?
I have a question for anyone who is concerned about Newton becoming too urbanized….
Do you support or oppose improvement to mass transit in Newton? On the one hand, it would seem that this is a way to reduce auto traffic. But on the other, better mass transit might attract more growth.
I support improved mass transit and this Bridj thing sound like a good idea. But while we’re on the topic of public transportation, I’m very opposed to the T operating in Newton after 2am.
So Mike, someone who works at, say, a late night shift Mass General, shouldn’t be able to take the T home in the middle of the night because?
My #1 concern is increased crime. My #2 concern is public drunkenness. I’d prefer that night shift worker drive or take a cab.
Well, hold on just a minute. The folks who are working the late shift are probably the least likely to be able to afford a cab ride home every night, let alone a car. And there are certainly a lot of folks like nurses, clerks and others working at Newton-Wellesley Hospital on the late shift too, who need to be able to get home. These aren’t drunks and criminals. They are doing an essential job right here in our community. Where’s the love, Mike?
…and I’d suggest that I’d much rather have some one who had too much to drink riding the T than behind the wheel.
Just as an FYI… I think the late night shift at most hospitals runs 11pm-7am. So let’s not make this about hospital workers trying to get home. This is really about Boston restaurants and bars wanting to stay open later. And I have no problem with that. In fact, I think it’s a good idea for a number of reasons including economic. But I don’t want Newton to pay the price for Boston. And I believe if the T runs past 2am we will see a large spike in crime. It makes it much easier for criminals to come to and go under the cover of darkness.
+1 on Mike Striar’s comment! If those late-night revelers want to get back to Newton after imbibing in Boston, they should hop in their cars and drive home down Route 9 like everyone else. On Friday nights, you can sometimes see them driving down the wrong side of the road at 70 mph! We should be doing all we can to support such drunken driving, not trying to prevent it!
And I too am convinced that the devious criminals of Brookline and points east are busily scheming to exploit extended MBTA service in order to commit their dastardly deeds in the Garden City. Why use a car or bicycle, when you can sit in those comfy 110-degree over-the-engine bus seats on the way to your criminal undertaking?
What Greg said. My son works until after midnight as do his colleagues on the late shift at Trader Joe’s in West Newton. They are young men and women in their late teens and early 20s who are not making a ton of dough, and live in apartments or with their parents. If they are going to go out for a drink after work, I would rather have them ride public transit than get behind the wheel of a car. When I see the crowd that sometimes spills out of any of the local pubs in West Newton at closing time, I find myself hoping they either have a T-pass or a designated driver.
But more importantly, these are not all kids from affluent families who can afford a car or a cab ride every night. Perhaps stocking shelves and unloading and loading stock is not the most essential job in the world, but a lot of people make ends meet or are starting out doing those jobs. And I don’t buy the argument that late night public transit leads to crime or public drunkenness. In fact, it might just save someone from an OUI or a negligent homicide.
Public transport in Newton is in need of a major overhaul. Service south of Route 9 is particularly bad, with the 52 bus running at 90-minute intervals during the day, and not at all after 7pm and on the weekends.
Each village should be connected to either Newton Center or Newtonville on 20-minute intervals from 5am to 1am. That would make the city a much more livable place.
What Greg and Ted said about the late night service. I think the benefit gained in economic opportunity and also in reducing OUI outweigh other concerns.
Also, the Bridj map is a real study in linking the local innovation districts. Sounds like we ought to talk to them about the N2, pronto!
How does a later T reduce DUI? Someone please explain that to me.
Another +1 on Mike Striar’s comment! How on earth would providing a reliable public transit alternative for people who wish to go out and drink, reduce their likelihood of getting behind the wheel of an automobile? Je ne comprends pas!
By the way, once it starts commercial service, Bridj will charge 8 bucks each way. So the target demographic are those lovable hipsters who don’t want to pay for a car, insurance, gas, and parking, but aren’t quite down with riding amidst the unwashed masses. Private psudo-snob iPhone buses aren’t a great service to the community, IMHO. A decent city government would provide reliable public transport that everyone can use.
By taking the T both ways. If you’re going out drinking and maybe already have a point or 2 against your driving license, taking the T both ways might appeal to you.
Is there any research on later night service driving up crime rates?
@Michael– Try dropping the sarcasm and let’s see if your suggestion holds any logic. Because your other suggestion about an inter-city bus was already tried and failed. It was called Nexus. Ridership was non-existent. And a reluctant Mayor Cohen eventually pulled the plug. I’m glad to debate whether extending the T would actually reduce DUI. But with T hours being linked to later hours for Boston bars, someone will have to explain the DUI reduction theory first.
The Nexus model is also very different from the technology driven model that Bridj is talking about and would be available to the MBTA or any other provider. As the editorial notes, Bridj will analyze riders’ home and work zip codes, GPS data from their phones, Facebook updates, tweets, Foursquare check-ins, municipal records, the census, and other public sources, to determine when, where and how often to run buses. And thanks to mobile apps, the days of standing on the corner wondering if you just missed that bus or if it will ever come are behind us. In fact, why stand on the corner when you can track the bus from the comfort of your home or a coffee shop while and then head outside at just the right time.
@Mike Striar – granted, local intra-city buses failed both here and in Needham (the Needhamite bus), but both were in the days of 99 cent gasoline when everyone loved automobiles. Plus, both ventures were ridiculously underfunded, unreliable, and inefficient. I think you’ll find that it’s a much different marketplace today.
I like Greg’s thinking on this. Public transportation, and taxis for that matter, are stuck in the 20th century. 21st century handheld technology that can put passengers and public transportation together and price the service provided accordingly could make getting around a whole lot easier, affordable and more efficient. (There’s an app for that!) Look at Uber and the opportunities it creates as well as the threat it represents to the established taxi industry. The failure of Nexxus was that it ran on a schedule and routes for which the demand was not sufficient to make it sustainable. At the other night’s Newtonville Area Council meeting to discuss public transportation, the question that arose again and again was how to meet the demand for more service. The MBTA is constrained by buedgetary limitations that do not allow it to take chances on increasing service without an assurance that it will pay for itself. Perhaps the N2 Innovation Corridor task force could take a look at improving public transit through handheld, 21st century technology that we all could have at our fingertips.
Where would the demand be for commutes to N2? Unless we really think everyone is going to live next door, it’s probably going to be where the real walkable, hip, affordable neighborhoods are. Allston? Cambridge? Somerville? For others, is it just going to be scattered around the suburban sprawl? (Doesn’t work well for Bridj’s model, which is more urban)
Give the T a little credit. There’s an app for that, too. Public transportation requires density and it has to go where the people go. Nexus was designed to do neither. It was there only for the sake of coverage. It also did a poor job accomplishing a journey end-to-end. Trips were measured in hours, not minutes. It was the polar opposite of both the T and Bridj. The 128 connections bus and proposed Needham busway aren’t much better.
Bridj and Uber are wonderful and fulfill a niche for flexibility and lower-trafic routes — there’s a place for both — but make no mistake, they can’t compete with mass transit on dedicated right of way. The Bridj bus is still going to get stuck in traffic. And that’s still where the demand is, because our area was built around public transit. Interestingly, the initial Bridj routes (based on demand) seem to mirror public transit routes (some have been inactive for decades) Two of them are in the news and could be brought back, if the state wasn’t so short-sighted.
Until our public transit starts to fly, we’re stuck with our old network. Cell phones aren’t going to completely fix that.
Another good destination for Bridj service in Newton would be the Chapel/Bridge Street area in Nonantum. (“Take the Bridj to Bridge.”) There’s quite a few young, interesting companies there and the area is served, but not well, by MBTA buses. A lot of the employees in that area live in Alston-Brighton, Cambridge, Somerville etc.
Here’s another model, for rideshare commuting: nuride.com