General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

This is gonna suck, especially if you're an abutter! Imagine having to look out at an advertisement every hour, every day, every year.

From this week's Boston Courant, by Galen Moore:

The MBTA plans to adorn large outdoor structures like brick ventilation towers at Back Bay and Hynes Convention Center with banner ads ...

... The new banner ads range in size from 20 by 22 feet on the ventilation building across from the Hynes Convention Center to 180 by 20 feet on South Station's southerly facade.

A Supreme Judicial Court decision earlier this year affirmed that state law allows the MBTA to circumvent city laws and sell ads on its property, even if they do not meet local zoning requirements.

Included with the story was a photo of the exterior of the Back Bay / South End Orange Line station, with the caption, "The MBTA plans a banner ad on this Back Bay Station ventilation tower facing Clarendon Street."
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

This is gonna suck, especially if you're an abutter! Imagine having to look out at an advertisement every hour, every day, every year.

From this week's Boston Courant, by Galen Moore:

The MBTA plans to adorn large outdoor structures like brick ventilation towers at Back Bay and Hynes Convention Center with banner ads ...

... The new banner ads range in size from 20 by 22 feet on the ventilation building across from the Hynes Convention Center to 180 by 20 feet on South Station's southerly facade.

A Supreme Judicial Court decision earlier this year affirmed that state law allows the MBTA to circumvent city laws and sell ads on its property, even if they do not meet local zoning requirements.


Included with the story was a photo of the exterior of the Back Bay / South End Orange Line station, with the caption, "The MBTA plans a banner ad on this Back Bay Station ventilation tower facing Clarendon Street."

Um, the ventilation tower at Hynes isn't actually across from the convention center though. It's on ... uh, Newbury Alley behind the Harvard Club (or whatever it's called after it's Newbury Street but not quite the Extension).

/bangs head on desk




/repeatedly
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Globe - August 26, 2008
T crises, controversies sully Mr. Fix-it image of Grabauskas

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | August 26, 2008

Daniel A. Grabauskas arrived at the MBTA as the guy who could fix the unfixable.

He had transformed the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles, a pit that held drivers virtually hostage for two or three hours when they renewed their licenses, into a place with Wal-Mart-style greeters at the door, a modern computer system, and 15-minute waiting times.

But three years later, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is far from fixed, and there are more political darts aimed at Grabauskas. He has earned praise from transportation activists for putting a focus on efficiency and access and has instituted customer service improvements such as the automated CharlieCard and the beginning of cellphone service on subways. But overwhelming debt, political infighting, and a recent series of controversies and crises at the T have tarnished his image.

In May, a trolley operator was killed in a jolting Green Line crash that highlighted the old equipment's susceptibility to human error. Soon after, Grabauskas fended off criticism for letting employees drive home state cars. This month, a federal lawsuit against a group of MIT students exposed how the T's electronic fare tickets could be reprogrammed to give free rides, leading one of the T's board members to say she had "lost all confidence" in the ability of Grabauskas to manage the agency.

"We're moving the ball in the right direction," he said. "But in this particular job, there is no end zone. You're either moving in the right direction, or you're moving in the wrong direction."

His team provided reams of lists and graphics, including a monthly system accountability book he initiated, to show where he is improving service and saving money. Canceled trips on buses and subways are down, and the fleets are running longer without breaking down, with fewer speed restrictions. Commuter rail, however, continues to run late more often than promised.

As Grabauskas grappled with the fare card public relations problem, he stumbled into another, when he granted nonunion employees a 9 percent pay increase days after warning that hefty fare increases may be necessary in 2010. The ill-timed raises led to a rebuke from the state's top transportation official and a reversal that displeased many of his managers, who have gone three years without a raise.

"That is one tough place," said Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a free market think tank, comparing the T to the Registry.

Increasingly, the confident face of public transportation in Boston has become a target, one of the last Republican holdovers in state government and, some allies contend, a scapegoat for a system struggling with decades of debt.

"There's a little surprise that he's not able to get things done like he did" at the Registry, said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who is generally a fan. But at the T, Grabauskas has less control, more factions, unions, boards, and internal politics to deal with, Menino said. "Somebody's always trying to undercut what he's doing."

Governor Deval Patrick's office declined to answer questions for this article, only issuing a statement through Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen asserting that the two men have a "constructive working relationship" while pointing to the need for the "MBTA board's continued vigilance."

But Cohen's public responses to the pay raises last week revealed what many see as growing antagonism from the administration. Cohen also serves as chairman of the nine-member MBTA board, which signed Grabauskas, who makes $255,000 a year, to a five-year contract in 2005.

Much of this discussion of debt and politics is academic to the system's hundreds of thousands of riders, who simply want to get to work on time, with some level of comfort.

Walk into a subway car, and everyone, whether they have heard of Grabauskas or not, can tell you about tardy service, late construction, crowded trains, or "boiling hot" stations.

"Some of the bus drivers are rude," said Michael Greg, a 53-year-old construction worker from Boston.

Grabauskas hears it all, even at dinner parties, though he says he also gets compliments on the CharlieCard and constructive suggestions about routes and schedules.

He points to his efforts at communications, such as newer sound systems and digital signs. He fortified the call center so operators answer more calls, speak more languages, and report back to him with more consistent feedback. Stations are generally cleaner, he said. Employee overtime costs are down.

Grabauskas is proudest of his efforts to settle a disability lawsuit and improve access on the T, something he said helps everyone get on and off buses and trains with more ease.

But some problems, such as the ongoing construction of the Kenmore station, leave many with the impression that the agency is unable to complete tasks. The station near Fenway Park is already at least 20 months overdue.

"That's kind of become legend," said Michael Dukakis, the former governor and frequent T rider, citing a string of construction delays.

Grabauskas, 45, looks as if he sleeps in a pressed shirt and necktie. He lives in Ipswich with his partner of nearly 20 years, Paul Keenan. Grabauskas drives to work, but takes the T when he travels around town. He jokes with friends that he will grow a bushy beard and open a garden center when he leaves public life.

His polished and assured presence in front of a camera has helped him accelerate through the public sector. Early in his career, when he ran the state's office of consumer affairs, he was on the nightly news exposing how lobstermen were padding the price of their catch by including the weight of the water.

He built a reputation as a manager there and was asked three times by former governor Paul Cellucci to fix the Registry before he accepted. He started by setting clear goals, putting managers to work on the front lines so they could understand motorists' problems, and turning over some staff, said Kimberly Hinden, his top deputy at the Registry, who later replaced him.

Then he persuaded the state to invest about $16 million to replace green-screen computers from the 1980s with a modern system called the Q-Matic that spit out customized tickets to customers, with estimated wait times.

The reputation from the Registry was not enough to elect him when he ran for state treasurer in 2002 against Timothy P. Cahill. So Grabauskas moved to transportation, appointed first as Governor Mitt Romney's secretary of transportation and then as general manager of the MBTA.

There, he learned quickly that $16 million didn't go far at the MBTA. The T's debt is more than $8 billion including interest payments, mostly because of expansion projects.

Record high ridership, the result of $4-per-gallon gas prices, has not been enough to compensate for the debt payments, the smaller-than-expected sales tax subsidy, and the rising cost of gas for buses.

His talk of substantial fare hikes earlier this month has put pressure on the agency to save money and avoid the appearance of wasting it. Grabauskas stood by his decision to let employees take home cars, arguing that they need to respond to emergencies and that the financial impact was relatively small. He held that managers deserved the pay raises after three years without one and were being compensated in line with new union wages.

State Senator Steven A. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat who leads the Transportation Committee, suggested criticism of these decisions has been driven by politics.

"Just because he was appointed by a Republican governor and he ran for treasurer against the current treasurer shouldn't prohibit him from doing his job," Baddour said.

Grabauskas is keenly aware that his time is running out, one way or another. He said he will probably work in the private or nonprofit sector next and doubts he will seek public office again.

"I've got about 20 months left here, at the most," he said. "That's when my contract expires."

The Patrick administration, which controls the MBTA board, could oust him immediately. But it would require a costly payout, nearly a half-million dollars, and would be politically difficult.

"They have to buy me out," said Grabauskas. "And I don't intend to quit."

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I think the Metro has a deal with Grabauskas. If he does their weekly(?) Q&A column for their paper, they will run a softball PR story occasionally.

Here is today's:
Boston Metro - August, 27, 2008
Putting it all ?on the line?
T?s customer service representatives handle high call volume


Riders call the MBTA to ask about fares or confirm bus routes, but they also call when the country?s oldest subway system malfunctions. When buses break down, delays wreak havoc and someone needs to be accountable, they?re the ones on the other end of the line.

Though they say the majority of callers ask about trip planning, the T?s 26 full-time customer support representatives are often also the first to hear it when something goes wrong for riders. They?re desks are chock full of maps and schedules, and they speak seven languages as a group. Each representative handles between 120 and 160 calls a day, and as a group, they take between 60,000 and 80,000 calls a month.

According to Crystal Reid, the T?s deputy director for customer support services, the T?s recent rise in ridership is also bringing in new callers with questions about riding the system. Then there are the regular callers, some of which the representatives recognize because they ask about the same schedule at the same time every day.

In addition, Reid said calls are now being logged and tracked under a new department-wide system put in place last year. T officials admit the customer service department?s old way of handling comments ? which had different phone numbers for different types of questions ? was ?disjointed,? all calls are now handled through one number ? 617-222-3200.

?Every call is different,? said representative Noemi Pineda. ?We just try to focus on getting the customer whatever they need.?

General Manager Dan Grabauskas has praised the representatives, who go through more than a month of training and are expected to be well informed on virtually every part of the agency.

?They?re the voice of the MBTA,? he said.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

?We just try to focus on getting the customer whatever they need.?

With that attitude, it's a shame this person doesn't work in construction management or capital procurement.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I think the Metro has a deal with Grabauskas. If he does their weekly(?) Q&A column for their paper, they will run a softball PR story occasionally.

I thought the MBTA wrote all of the columns and the Metro just published what was submitted ...
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

There usually something interesting in these Q&A's so I'll try to post them when I remember.

T Q+A with General Manager Dan Grabauskas


Each morning I commute to work via the commuter rail which stops at North Station. From there I attempt to grab the next Orange Line train headed towards Forest Hills. The problem is, most mornings I find the trains are already filled by the time they arrive at the North Station stop. This makes it difficult to board the subway car. Many times I am forced to take the next train that arrives but only if I am able to fight my way onto the train. Is there any way an Orange Line train can depart for North Station with some capacity to allow riders to board without fighting each other for a spot? The time I find I have a problem most is around 8:30 to 8:40 a.m. M-F. Dave Clairmont

Dear Dave,
With MBTA ridership at record high levels, our subway system is at maximum capacity at the height of the morning rush-hour period. While we have very limited options for increasing capacity or service levels at that hour, subway staff can look into possible schedule adjustments to help address the situation you described.
The schedules for the fall have been established, but I have directed the MBTA?s Service Development team to examine the feasibility of an adjustment to the winter schedule, which takes effect in December.
Meanwhile, the Chief of the Orange Line will consider more immediate solutions, such as the possibility of adding an extra train or making a temporary adjustment to the newly established fall schedule. Please keep in mind that we can?t take such action without first considering the impact that a temporary adjustment would have on the Orange Line as a whole.
Finally, it?s important to know that there is a long-term solution in the works. We recently began the process of procuring an entirely new fleet of cars for the Orange Line. By the time the procurement is complete, the Orange Line will have, at the very least, twenty-two more subway cars than it does today.

Dear Sir,
I am a weekday rider for the 1/CT1 to and from University Park and Hynes Convention Center. Just about every other week, I get on a bus that is not accepting fares, the bus driver has his/her hand covering the Charlie Card/Ticket machine and is waving on the passengers. Just yesterday the 4:00 p.m. CT1 (bus No. 0271) heading to Boston from University Park did such a thing. My question is why is this occurring? How much in revenues are being lost by the bus drivers waving on the passengers without collecting the fares? Amy Adyanthaya


Dear Amy,
After reading your question, I sent personnel from our Automated Fare Collection department to inspect and test the fare box on bus No. 0271. My staff tells me it was found to have an earlier (and outdated) software version. After updating the software, the fare box was tested and found to be fully functional.
Unlike our fare vending machines, the fare boxes do not communicate on a ?real time? basis with our Revenue Department staff. Automated Fare Collection personnel rely heavily on receiving fare box status information from bus operators and dispatchers. Since the Revenue Department had no record of this fare box being out of service, I have directed the head of Bus Operations to reinstruct operators and dispatchers on the importance of reporting any problems immediately. It is absolutely unacceptable for any employee to adopt an attitude that fare collection is an ?option.? Technicians will monitor this fare box closely over the next few weeks to ensure that the new software continues to function properly. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.

Does anyone think Amy was the girl who would write names on the board when the teacher was out of the classroom?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Does anyone think Amy was the girl who would write names on the board when the teacher was out of the classroom?

Seems like a conscientious tax-payer to me. I hope she votes in November.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

It's surprising how often people blog or write about this issue, though more often on the commuter rail than buses. Just this weekend, I had a free ride from Sharon to Ruggles because the conductor was too inattentive or lazy to collect fares.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

It's surprising how often people blog or write about this issue, though more often on the commuter rail than buses. Just this weekend, I had a free ride from Sharon to Ruggles because the conductor was too inattentive or lazy to collect fares.

It's an incredible problem that the MBTA has simply not addressed (or, addressed in a wrong manner).

It burns the hell out of me to purchase a fare and then see these bastards pay bubkis ... and get away with it. All the more infuriating when the conductor or operator condones this theft.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Globe - September 4, 2008
MBTA bolsters rush-hour train, bus service

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | September 4, 2008

After another month of record public transit use, the MBTA is adding rush-hour trains and buses in hopes of taming some of its burgeoning crowds, general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said yesterday.

"We're hearing more and more about people having to wait for the next bus or the next train," Grabauskas said. "If we can't offer you a seat, let alone a place to stand on a bus or a train, then we're going to lose those passengers."

The changes - some previously planned, others new - are limited in scale and Grabauskas concedes they will not completely solve the T's crowding problems. But the agency does not have a lot of money to work with. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is operating out of its reserve accounts to keep its budget balanced and could implement a potentially substantial fare increase in 2010 to combat its multibillion-dollar debt.

Later this year, the MBTA board will consider a much broader change in service that could eliminate some lesser-used routes and add capacity on others.

But yesterday on the T riders said they would welcome even modest additions.

"In the morning, it's almost impossible to find a seat," said Roberto Gonzalez, an attorney from Providence who takes one bus and two subway lines to get to work in Boston every day.

Grabauskas said the 34.7 million trips taken in July represent the busiest month in at least a decade, though all counts before 2007 are considered less reliable because they were estimated. July was also the seventh month in a row to record an increase in passengers over the same month last year. Transit systems around the country have been attracting more riders since gas prices began rising sharply late last year.

Except the commuter boat, every form of transportation the T runs attracted more riders in July. Overall, the increase in average weekday trips was 6.9 percent over the previous year.

"I'll often wait for the next train. I don't want to stand the whole time," said Linda Bain, a financial executive from Lexington who takes the subway between Alewife Station and South Station.

Riders say commuter rail parking lots and trains are also packed. Sitting down with room to unfurl a newspaper is becoming a rare luxury.

The biggest addition, phasing in longer trains on the Blue Line, has been anticipated for years and was expected to begin in the summer. Grabauskas said the first three long Blue Line trains - six cars per train set instead of four - will begin rush-hour service Sept. 15. Others will be phased in by the end of next year, as the T continues integrating its fleet of 94 cars purchased from Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. and introduced in February.

Additional cars on the Green and Red lines and additional buses might be more difficult for commuters to recognize because they involve shifting existing resources in some cases and, in others, dispatching cars to crowded areas on an as-needed basis.

The biggest cost - $136,974 to maintain and power the new Blue Line cars - was already set aside this year in the T's operating budget. Costs for other changes will be about $120,000 and will be made up by shifting employee schedules, Grabauskas said.

The T has been exploring other ways to increase capacity, including getting rid of some seats on subway cars and adding more straps. A recent study found that it would cost $40,000 to $60,000 per car to reconfigure Red Line trains. Grabauskas said that he would try it in Boston only if experiments in New York and Chicago demonstrate that it effectively serves more commuters.

"Before we spend money, let's see whether it works there or not," he said.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Metro - September 9, 2008
T Q+A with General Manager Dan Grabauskas


Kind Sir,
In these most trying financial times, it strikes me as odd the MBTA has not figured a way to marry ridership to cycling. With gas prices so volatile, it seems that dedicating one car of the train to riders biking from home to the train into work and back home again should be a no brainer. Obviously there will be those that don?t want bikes touching them during the stair climb. I?m hopeful, however, that the riders that would be taking advantage of such a service would be respectful, courteous and careful towards others. It shouldn?t be anymore trouble to police than every-day riders. Renovation of the ?Cycle Caboose? will be warranted (removal of the seats and adding more straps for instance; we wouldn?t need NEW cars) but the reduction of congested roads, relief to our ecosystem and the health benefits may prove worth the experiment in any event. Your thoughts and opinion are welcomed. P. Stallworth


Thanks to a series of MBTA initiatives, more and more bicyclists who pedal around Greater Boston, are using the MBTA as part of their trips to work, home, or other destinations.
Helping bicyclists commute safely and efficiently, the MBTA is proud to be one of the few transit systems in the United States to offer unrestricted opportunities for bicycle access on trains.
Enhancing bicycle access to transit is important not only for achieving improved mobility, but also for lowering air pollution emissions, reducing highway congestion, and creating healthier neighborhood environments.
Bikes are permitted on all MBTA trains except for trolleys, due to lack of space.
If a train is already full, or if space at the end of the car is already occupied by customers in wheelchairs or with baby strollers, cyclists may be asked to wait for the next train.
The MBTA has become one of the most bike-friendly public transit agencies in the nation:

* Close to 90% of MBTA Subway and Commuter Rail stations provide parking for bicycles. The goal of 100% will be achieved.

* More than 35% of the buses in the T?s fleet now have bike racks. This includes 330 buses that travel on 55 bus routes serving Boston and 31 other communities. The installation of bike racks for approximately 1,000 additional bikes will be complete by next summer. The MBTA will install 150 bike racks a year with the entire bus fleet bike rack equipped by 2012.
* With over 250 cyclists parking at Alewife Station each day, two new 'bike cages' will provide relief to overflowing bike racks. Each secured bike cage, to be accessible with a swipe of a CharlieCard, will accommodate approximately 150 bicycles, and be monitored by surveillance cameras. The cage will be ready for use next week.
* After last year's success of the Rockport Line Commuter Rail bike coach carrying cyclists to beaches in Gloucester, and Rockport, the T this summer introduced a Greenbush Commuter Rail Line bike coach that has carried many cyclists to South Shore beaches, including Nantasket. The bike rack-equipped coaches accommodate close to 40 bikes each.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

The Alewaife bike cage is new to me, but does this mean theyll be charging for the storage?

Also, some other systems allow bikes in trolleys and have special racks that allow you to hold your bike vertically to use the least amount of space possible.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

As a guy who, for the better part of the last 8 years, has often commuted from Dedham to Wilmington via bike and one or two legs of commuter rail (S. Station from Dedham/Hyde Park and/or N. Station to Wilmington)--at least once per week as my job normally has me traveling out of state for a majority of the week, I submit the following unsolicited comments about bikes and the MBTA (at least the Commuter Rail) . . .

The understandable prohibition of non-collapsable bikes on rush hour trains (the shaded portion of a particular line's routes, normally the trains into the city in the morning in out of the city in the afternoon/early evening) does present a challenge. Fortunately, I can either ride into N. Station or take the very first train (which I can catch at 5:48 am) to make the 6:45 am train from N Station to Wilmington. On a good day with southerly winds, there is no significant difference (time-wise, not effort-wise) between riding all the way to North Station (about 12 miles) versus riding .75 miles to Endicott, waiting a couple minutes, riding the train to S. Station (about 20-25 minutes), the disembarking at S. Station and riding to North Station (about 1.25 miles and 10 minutes, give or take, with actually getting out of S. Station). The early train is about half full and there is normally room to get on with my bike without much hassle.

The ride from N. Station to Wilmington (about 30 minutes in duration) in the morning is easy as this is a reverse commute and the train is barely 1/8 full.
For what it is worth, the 4.5 miles from Wilmington to my office is pretty easy and takes about 15-20 minutes. The North Wilmington station is a couple miles closer to the office but the service to that station is rather infrequent and thus not a viable option for me in the morning.

Coming back into the city in the afternoon from Wilmington is also a reverse commute and equally easy to get on with my bike. However, unless I donk off work really early (2pm or sooner), there are no outbound afternoon trains from S. Station after about 3:30pm that allow bikes on them (they are all designated rush hours trains and remain so designated until about 6:30 pm or later, depending on the line). As a result, I end up getting a little extra exercise dodging my way back from N. Station to Dedham with the afternoon vehicular traffic--normally causing about an extra ten minutes of time to make the trip.

The good news is my company pays for my monthly T pass (I use it to get into and out of the airport when I fly) and since my wife and I only have one car (modest 2001 sedan that has been paid for for years), the transportation portion of our family budget is pretty small. Further, with my laptop, I can get a ton of paperwork done while on the train. Lastly, burning about 30-40 calories per mile on the bike adds up when I pedal between 13-33 miles per day when I commute this way.

The down side is that what takes about 40-45 minutes each way to drive (albeit costing about 12-15 dollars in gas per round trip), takes at least twice as long (and often longer) to bike/ride the train.

I say all this because from a biker's perspective, one of the chief benefits of biking (aside from all of the obvious ones already mentioned) is that when I am actually on the bike, it is very enjoyable to cover ground more quickly than my motorist counterparts--it is kinda the icing on the cake and makes the extra time, as a whole, that the trip takes worth it.

While I acknowledge the utility and appeal of a bike caboose for many (perhaps most??) existing and potential bike/train commuters, I, for one, would prefer not to have a bike caboose for the following two reasons: 1) My bike, while not top of the line by any measure, IS my car and I would not want it out of my sight--the same reason I would never lock my bike at any T station. And 2), having to but my bike on such a caboose would only add time to the entire process, which is already long enough.

A better option, from my selfish point of view, would be more of the passenger cars that are configured to have several inboard-facing jump seats that rest in the up postion when not being sat in. These cars (many of the newer single-level cars in the fleet) can easily accommodate well over a dozen bikes per car and still have about 2/3rds of the car outfitted with 'standard' passenger seats.

Sorry for the diatribe, this was a topic I can finally provide some first-hand insight on.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Residents split on proposed bus route changes

By Sara jacobi, Correspondent
Thu Sep 11, 2008, 08:25 AM EDT

Allston-Brighton -

Although some Allston-Brighton residents have requested diverting the MBTA?s Route 64 bus from Hobart Street onto Brooks Street, the change was met with opposition at a community meeting held Monday night.

The Route 64 bus runs between Oak Square in Brighton and University Park in Cambridge, via North Beacon Street and Cambridge Street. During rush hour on weekdays, the bus continues on to Kendall/MIT.

The section of the Route 64 in question is where the bus, heading outbound to Oak Square, turns from Brooks Street onto Hobart Street and then on Falkland Street before turning onto Faneuil Street. Faneuil Street and Brooks Street connect several blocks later, so some residents questioned why the Route 64 bus even travels onto Hobart instead of staying on Brooks and meeting up with Faneuil Street.

Proponents of the change said that Hobart Street is a narrow, residential road with both elderly residents and families with young children.

?It would decrease congestion and problems with parked cars,? said Melissa Dullea, manager of service planning for the MBTA. Dullea added the proposed change route is the current route the buses take during snow emergencies.

However, according to the MBTA, with the proposed change, 86 people would be affected. Residents said at the meeting that many of the affected are elderly citizens who can?t make the six- to ?eight-block trip to the next nearest bus stop.

?[86] people is a lot of people that would be affected,? said Kristy Avino, who lives in the neighborhood. ?Many of them are elderly folks.? Avino added that there is a group home for disabled citizens in the neighborhood, and although none of the five adults living there currently use the MBTA, other adults who have lived there in the past have used the service.

This particular concern was brought before the MBTA two years ago, but the service was never changed because the MBTA found the diversion would indeed affect a number of elderly residents. It was added to the service plan draft this year because some Brighton residents had asked City Councilor Mark Ciommo?s office to propose the issue to the MBTA to see if there was enough community interest in changing the route.

But Michael McLaughlin, community and policy director for Ciommo?s office, said Ciommo only brought up the issue with the MBTA because he had been hearing from residents who wanted to divert the bus. However, McLaughlin said Ciommo has begun hearing from the side that was opposed to changing the route.

?We are simply presenting it as something some residents have come to us suggesting,? he said. ?We didn?t want it to sound like he endorsed one side or the other.?

Dullea said the changes to the Route 64 bus route would only be instituted if there was a consensus among residents to do so.

The meeting also considered the recently instituted practice of turning back Route 57 buses heading from Kenmore to Watertown Yard at Oak Square during rush hour. Residents applauded the idea, but cautioned the MBTA that the buses need to be clear about which ones will continue on to Watertown and which ones will stop at Oak Square.

Frederick Maloney of Montfern Avenue in Brighton suggested renaming the buses 57 and 57a depending on what their final destinations were instead of showing the final destination on the rotating, neon-orange sign that is displayed on the front and sides of the buses.

?Sometimes it says ?Go Red Sox? or ?Go Pats,? and you can?t always see where it?s going in time,? he said.

Other bus route changes

Dullea also mentioned that trips for the 66 bus would increase to every 18-20 minutes at 7 a.m. to prevent crowding that has been occurring during that time; that the Route 500 bus that goes from Riverside to the Financial District would be discontinued; that more service would be added to the Elliott Street section of the Route 59 bus; and the Route 60 bus would improve to hourly service on Sundays.

LINK
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Six-car trains to debut today on Blue Line

September 15, 2008

With high gas prices driving more and more commuters out of their cars and into public transportation, the MBTA is adding capacity by replacing four-car trains on the Blue Line with six-car trains. The first of the longer trains is scheduled to leave this morning from Wonderland Station in Revere. Officials say all of the four-car trains on the Blue Line will be replaced in the coming months. By early 2009, the Boston-area transit system expects to have 84 subway cars operating during rush hour, compared with 56 prior to the introduction of six-car trains. The T says overall ridership has increased for seven consecutive months. Average weekday ridership on the Blue Line was 66,933 in July, up from 53,424 last December. (AP)

LINK
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Are all the stations long enough? I hadn't heard any info on State Sts status. Also isn't Orient Heights still too short? Are they closing Bowdoin now?
 

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