From
Route 38's Better Bus Profile:
Pre-Covid, the 38 had 20-25 min average frequencies during peak hours, but hourly service or worse during off-peak.
"Route 38 has
low ridership, serving 815 riders per weekday and about 260 riders on Saturdays."
"Route 38 provides public transit access to Faulkner Hospital, and connects residential neighborhoods in West Roxbury, Roslindale, and Jamaica Plain to the Orange Line and other bus services at Forest Hills Station. Most parts of the route are within walking distance of very frequent bus services on Centre Street and South Street, which all also provide access to Forest Hills Station. Route 38 thus has a
limited customer base, and, apart from special trips that serve schools far from the primary route, has
very low ridership."
So the ridership on Centre St and especially at Faulkner Hospital, while being low, justifies having a bus route there instead of following the 35/36/37's route via Roslindale Square.
The redesign actually doesn't change the 38's frequency significantly, as it still has 25 min frequency during peak and 50 min during off-peak, but with added Sunday service:
In terms of routing, the redesigned 38 takes over the 41's current route up to Nubian, as others mentioned. This moves the Orange Line connection to Jackson Square (which may end up being faster despite a longer bus ride), and also provides OSR to Nubian. I think that's a good change and improves utility of both routes.
I'd like to see the 38 extended along Lagrange to take over the 37 loop, rather than it becoming part of the 52 as is planned.
Agreed. While having the 52 to Lagrange does provide connection to VA Hospital, the loss of direct Orange Line access can be problematic.