General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

[CSTH]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I was also going to respond to datadyne by saying "maybe in theory." I have just now arrived at BOS and yet again the taxi could not take a credit card. They say "something's wrong" with the machine...dunno...in any case, I would say that I try to pay with a card 100% of the time and succeed closer to 75-80% of the time.

just so we all understand, these cases of "the machine not working" are clearly all in fact examples of drivers not wanting to pay fees and taxes on their fares, right? In my experience they tend to start working again when i suggest that the nearest state trooper might have some skill as a repairman (easiest when inbound to logan, where there is a statie at each terminal...)

 

[underground]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Not to condone lying and I know we've all been in a situation where we didn't have cash on hand, but taxi drivers are already bent over a barrel by the ridiculous medallion system (limited medallions get picked up by speculators who charge outrageous fees to use them) and the credit card service fee of course comes out of the driver's cut of your fare and not the medallion holder's. I know it's annoying, but you gotta feel for these guys. The problem is the medallion system, not the drivers.

 

[CSTH]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Not to condone lying and I know we've all been in a situation where we didn't have cash on hand, but taxi drivers are already bent over a barrel by the ridiculous medallion system (limited medallions get picked up by speculators who charge outrageous fees to use them) and the credit card service fee of course comes out of the driver's cut of your fare and not the medallion holder's. I know it's annoying, but you gotta feel for these guys. The problem is the medallion system, not the drivers.

agreed

 

[datadyne007]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I don't ever use or carry cash anymore, so if the cab isn't accepting credit cards, I send them on their way. Bottom-line, it's city law. If you don't like it, don't drive a cab in Boston.

 

[underground]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Bottom-line, it's city law. If you don't like it, don't drive a cab in Boston.

You're presupposing that people who end up driving cabs have lots of other career choices. Believe me, if only people who wanted to drive cabs worked as cab drivers, you'd be SOL finding one on a Friday night.

 

[KentXie]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Kent -- actually I was stuck at Farringdon Station (one of the few above ground stations in central London and one of the first stations to open when the tube was begun) while a series of trains arrived and left without anyone being able to board

Not sure what caused the capacity problem -- but my solution after about 5 trains passed was to cross to the other side -- take the first train arriving and go somewhere to an interchange

I did eventually get to my destination -- about 1 hour after I expected to arrive

It was in Boylston station. Granted I did have a monthly card but had I not, I wouldn't spend extra so I can leave the station, go to the other side and transfer back at Park St and Government Center.

 

[Shepard]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Back to the Sox Problem. Imagine if you could get all passengers from the Red Line and CR/South Station off the Green Line, and instead send them onto a magical parallel rail track that just happens to have a stop at Yawkey?

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Omaja -- That's not the relevant point

The relevant point is that no one in ND should be forced to pay for something in Boston or vice versa.

No, the truly relevant point is that we are a federation and that isn't going to change any time soon.

Back to the Sox Problem. Imagine if you could get all passengers from the Red Line and CR/South Station off the Green Line, and instead send them onto a magical parallel rail track that just happens to have a stop at Yawkey?

What a novel idea. Too bad it is seemingly so simple and cost-effective to implement that it has zero chance of happening.

 

[KentXie]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Or maybe they could run a special bus route on the day of the Red Sox games from Ruggles so they can funnel some of the people from a heavy rail.

Regardless, this wouldn't have happened if the Green Line didn't experience some sort of problem that caused a backup in transporting fans.

Oh and btw, both the orange line and blue line experienced problems today. Disabled train on the orange and signal problem on the blue.

 

[BostonUrbEx]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Or maybe they could run a special bus route on the day of the Red Sox games from Ruggles so they can funnel some of the people from a heavy rail.

Don't they already? Or did they stop it?

 

[Lurker]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Don't they already? Or did they stop it?

The free shuttle service was ended several years ago without explanation.

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Whichever of these is least expensive needs to happen in the worst way very quickly:
1. Replacing entire signal system in Central Subway and implementing CBTC.
2. Adding additional power substations to allow for a significant increase in 3-car operations across the B, D, and E (to Brigham) lines.

The Sox "problem" would be solved along with some of the massive delays that can be seen during the most normal of rush hours.

 

[whighlander]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Whichever of these is least expensive needs to happen in the worst way very quickly:
1. Replacing entire signal system in Central Subway and implementing CBTC.
2. Adding additional power substations to allow for a significant increase in 3-car operations across the B, D, and E (to Brigham) lines.

The Sox "problem" would be solved along with some of the massive delays that can be seen during the most normal of rush hours.

Omaja -- as part of the proposal for engineering and planning funds for the South Station project -- DOT included a bunch of appendices --one of them was the updated (through 2010) Transit plan

In that document, the T defines the projects needed to acheive the state of "Good Repair -- and some of those include the Green Line signals and power

I think that what the Legislature needs to do next year is to the take the T-Bull by the horns and:

1) pick one major project for completion within the next 15 years -- such as GLX -- give the public something big to look forward to having in honor of the 400th anniversary of Mass Bay Colony and Boston
2) pick 2 minor project to insure something is completed by 2030 even if #1 has a major problem -- such minor projects could be:
a) dig under D street for the Silver Line and
b) the passenger tunnel between DTX and State
3) create a an continuously updated list of projects to insure the acheivement and maintenance of the State of Good Repair within 15 years -- not very "sexy" but necessary
4) Clean-up and restructure the benefits, work rules and retirement plans for all T employees -- equivalent of a managed bankruptsy -- even more necessary for a sustainable system
5) Create a separate capital budget to cover #1, #2, and major parts of #3 -- directly funded by the Legislature and unrelated to the operating budget
a) enhance the capital budget by funds from institutions (e.g. BU, Harvard) and developers (e.g. Seaport Sq.) and corporations (e.g. New Balance) who want special considerations

 

[omaja]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Completely agreed that the Legislature really needs to make a swift change with the MBTA. Like undoing this forward funding nonsensical arrangement that has left the organization with zero ability to meet its current maintenance and operational needs, let alone engage any capital expansion projects.

 

[jass]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Or maybe they could run a special bus route on the day of the Red Sox games from Ruggles so they can funnel some of the people from a heavy rail.

Is this sarcasm.

Im 99% sure such a bus does or at least did exist


Edit: Missed the very next post. :/

 

[Arlington]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Heartbreaking silliness of bus and rail: Last Green Line train outbound to Lechmere each night scheduled to arrive around 1:15am. Last buses *from* Lechmere on its 4 major lines (80,87,88 and 69) all depart at 1:00am. Really? Is there no way to have the last buses wait for the last train?

 

[Ron Newman]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I thought all "1 am" buses, at any T station, actually waited for the last train to arrive?

 

[Matthew]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

"w - Waits for last trolley to arrive at Lechmere Sta."

check the PDF schedule.

 

[jass]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Heartbreaking silliness of bus and rail: Last Green Line train outbound to Lechmere each night scheduled to arrive around 1:15am. Last buses *from* Lechmere on its 4 major lines (80,87,88 and 69) all depart at 1:00am. Really? Is there no way to have the last buses wait for the last train?

They wait, the schedule lies to make it seem like theres not a 30 minut (or more) gap between buses.

Same deal at Kenmore, Harvard etc. I frequently would take the 1:30am 77 (listed as 1am or such)

 

[Arlington]

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

"w - Waits for last trolley to arrive at Lechmere Sta."
check the PDF schedule.

They wait, the schedule lies to make it seem like theres not a 30 minut (or more) gap between buses.

Same deal at Kenmore, Harvard etc. I frequently would take the 1:30am 77 (listed as 1am or such)

Thanks everyone. It is a relief to know that's the physical reality. What about the virtual reality? Not being there and not having a paper or PDF, I was using three tools to plan a late night trip:

http://www.trackthet.com/index.php?routeId=80&dirId=80_0_var0&stopId=14150&update=true

and

the MassTransit iphone app.

and even the MBTA website, like:

http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_m...ction=O&timing=W&RedisplayTime=Redisplay+Time
(which actually shows a 1:31 and a 1:32 am bus at the Hvd Busway, but for most buses doesn't show them in the Busway at all, what's up with that?)

None of the Tracker, App, or Website resources had a "w" (and no place to put one), and TrackTheT (and presumably the MBTA itself) has no indication in its "next bus" system showing that the buses were holding (such as showing the buses' time at the stop "holding")

Are there any electronic apps/systems that don't "lie"?

Seems to me that they could at least put the 1am bus back to a time that (even without a W) would give the virtual systems' users a better sense that the bus will be there.