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The MBTA's "Bus Network Redesign" was created to reflect several changes Boston and its surrounding areas have seen in recent years. These include shifting demographics, emerging employment districts, increasing traffic congestion, and changing travel patterns, the MBTA said.
The redesign is expected to bring the following benefits:
- 25% more bus service
- 70% more weekend service
- 275,000 more residents would be near high-frequency service (buses running every 15 minutes or better, 5 AM – 1 AM, seven days a week)
- 115,000 residents of color and 40,000 low-income households would gain access to high-frequency service
The MTBA has now rolled out its proposal for the redesign that outlines the potential service changes to each respective area. Since its release, reactions have been especially pessimistic in neighboring Somerville where several bus routes would be eliminated.
"The most concerning changes to me are that 88, 89, and 80 bus lines will be eliminated, and that the 87 bus line will be diverted to no longer service the length of Somerville Ave," one person said in the Somerville Community Facebook group.
Those bus routes are expected to be replaced by the Green Line Extension (GLX) that is supposed to run from Tufts University into downtown Boston. While the GLX officially opened in March 2022, its continued service has yet to begin. The extension is ultimately a large player in the Bus Network Redesign that commuters feel hasn't been addressed enough.
"Bus routes should feed into the new Green Line stops," one Facebook user told Daily Voice. "The current proposal has no bus routes at Ball Square, Magoun Square (Lowell Street), or Gilman Square stations. Also, what everyone else said about the existing 87, 88, and 89 routes being useful to many people for which the Green Line is not a replacement."
"North-south connections by bus passing over the GLX would be a great improvement to the connectivity of the area," another user said. "Currently (and still under this new proposal) getting between Broadway and Somerville Ave by public transit is not easy."
One person defended the MBTA's plan by commending its idea "to consolidate the routes so that they can run much more often. There are some important new connections too such as to Everett and Chelsea, and no more having to transfer twice."
The MBTA is taking public feedback about the redesign until Sunday, July 31. People can submit their feedback by clicking here. You can also view the Bus Network Redesign and its proposed service changes in your area by clicking here.
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