The MBTA is considering offering overnight bus service. A survey is being conducted to help the MBTA understand the transportation needs of people who need to travel between the hours of 12 AM and 5 AM. There are two surveys, once for employees or residents and one for employers. The deadline is tomorrow (Dec. 24) The links are:
Would overnight bus service be helpful to you?
by Village 14 | Dec 22, 2016 | MBTA | 3 comments
This is more an issue for downtown
Boston where cheaper substitutes for the rail lines might be a good thing than for the suburbs where the jobs and the workers are more spread out. Though I do remember that the 1030 P.M. bus from Newtonville to Needham was a major benefit to my father when he worked the late shift at the Newtonville Post Office and took that bus home to Upper Falls. Perhaps tailored routes involving work sites and the workers’ home neighborhoods might be relevant in the future.
Right now it would make most sense for the T to put in bus shelters at key spots along their bus routes to protect riders from the weather and post schedules so that prospective riders would know when the next bus would come. The shelter on Walnut Street near the library and City Hall is an excellent example of what the MBTA should focus its efforts on. And they should sell advertising on the shelters to make them economically self-sufficient, even not small contributors to reducing the T’s deficit.
City Councilor Brian Yates
Councilor Yates: I believe you may be underestimating the volume of Newton residents, employees and employers who could benefit from overnight bus service: Our restaurants and pubs struggle finding staff who can work past midnight (serving, cooking, prepping for the next day, cleaning, etc). Nurses, lab technicians and emergency room staff at the hospital could benefit. So could the people who clean our office buildings, maintain computer systems, work in assisted living facilities, restock store shelves, etc.
And, of course, Newton residents who have late night jobs in Boston would benefit too. And perhaps it would keep a few drunk drivers off the road as well.
You could be right. Greg. We might have more input on this topic if either of our comments were featured in the recent posts column.