The week's data update at
https://mobility-massdot.hub.arcgis.com/ is in.
Last week was the highest ridership in the bus system since the stay-at-home order was given last March!
This comes at a time when Massachusetts is rapidly vaccinating the adult population.
Last week (week of 4/5), the highest ridership route in the entire MBTA bus system was the
28. I want to focus on the 28 for this post. The 28 averages 7,075 riders/day last week. This is the first week a bus route has averaged 7,000+ riders per day since "The Before Times."
The 28, unsurprisingly, has shown relatively strong ridership throughout the pandemic:
In fact, last week the 28 had a ridership of 63% of the baseline week (2/24/20).
The 28 is the highest ridership mass transit route in Mattapan, serving Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury en route to Ruggles via Dudley. The strong ridership throughout the pandemic is unsurprising given that this route serves a lower-income, transit-dependent population less likely to be able to do their jobs remotely compared to more affluent neighborhoods. COVID has further illustrated the need to invest in the 28 and mass transit to/from Mattapan in general. So, let's look at what's being and has been done:
The Blue Hill Ave corridor has long been a high-ridership corridor. Streetcars served this corridor for much of the 20th century. The modern version of the 28 was introduced in 1987, when the Southwest Corridor portion of the Orange Line opened.
BRT elements have been close to becoming a reality on this corridor on a few occasions.
In 2003, the '
Program for Mass Transportation' highlighted a 'Silver Line South Extension to Ashmont and Mattapan.'
This project would extend Silver Line bus rapid transit service beyond Dudley station to Ashmont and Mattapan. Service would follow Warren Street from Dudley to Grove Hall, and would then split into two branches. ... These branches would replace present MBTA bus Routes 23 and 28. ... This is a high priority rapid transit expansion project. ... Reducing the number of stops, installing signal priority systems for buses, and installing bus-only lanes would however improve travel time compared to existing local bus service. The larger articulated vehicles used on this service would reduce crowding. ... Direct service to Downtown Boston would be available without transferring at Dudley or Ruggles as required now.
In 2006, as part of
a possible Phase III of the Silver Line, this was explored again:
Cogliano's plan would also extend Silver Line service south along Warren Street from Dudley station into Grove Hall, Mattapan, and Ashmont, with connections to the new Fairmount commuter rail line, which runs through Mattapan and Dorchester. This extension of the Silver Line, which could replace the Route 23 and 28 bus routes, goes through neighborhoods where many residents depend on buses.
In 2009,
MassDOT applied for a TIGER Grant for the 28X:
The essential feature of the new service is dedicated bus lanes, which remove buses from general-traffic lanes and the unanticipated delays that can occur in them. Combined with traffic signal improvements that grant priority to buses in the dedicated lanes and reduce the delay caused by red lights, this will permit buses to operate at a higher speed and with greater reliability in travel times. Travel speed and reliability will also be improved by two other means: consolidating some existing stops, thus reducing the number of times a bus may be required to stop; and creating a system enabling passengers to pay their fares before boarding, thus reducing the length of the dwell time for buses per stop. Finally, new stations, with amenities including heaters and fare-prepayment machines.
The MBTA added 60-foot buses to the route in 2010 and made some improvements as part of the Key Bus Route Improvement Program in the mid-2010s.
More recently, Boston
applied for federal funds again in 2020 for BRT elements along Blue Hill Ave, but again
it did not come to fruition.
Blue Hill Ave is considered a "
high priority corridor" as part of the ongoing Bus Transformation Project.
If we are to build back better, Blue Hill Ave is ripe for some BRT elements. This project has been top of mind for 20 years, and just keeps missing getting called up to the big leagues. Throughout COVID, the 28 has maintained relatively strong ridership and I hope we see some investment in bus infrastructure along this corridor in the coming years.