Alright, our final BAT route! It’s another typical one, just running out to the eastern sections of the city and a little bit into Abington. Let’s take a look at the 5.
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| Getting on at the BAT Centre one last time. |
We went down Commercial Street, lined with weird buildings and parking lots, then we turned onto Crescent Street. After passing a bunch of different types of scenery, we turned onto Lyman Street, which was residential aside from a cemetery and a church. Next, we turned onto Centre Street, passing houses, businesses and a school.
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| A mixed-use intersection. |
Eventually, it was time for a double deviation: first, we went into Signature Healthcare, a big hospital. Right after that, we had a jog via Libby Street and Quincy Street to serve the Brockton Multi Services Center. Back on Centre Street, it was residential aside from a few weird industrial buildings, then the road became Brockton Ave as we entered Abington. Finally, we pulled into the Abington Walmart and the final BAT route was completed.
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| Getting ready to go back. |
BAT Route: Brockton Route 5 (Brockton Hospital via Centre Street)
Ridership: The route got about 500 passengers per weekday in 2014 while netting around 235 and 160 people per Saturday and Sunday, respectively. I will say that my ride had about 15 people going one-way, which is much higher than the 2014 numbers would suggest, so perhaps ridership has gone up.
Pros: The route connects up the important destinations of Signature Healthcare and Walmart to the Bat Centre, while running with the typical pulse schedule. Not much else to say!
Cons: Not much, aside from the route map appearing to show a deviation that we didn’t do – it looks like it serves some shopping plaza.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Walmart, I guess. There isn’t much along this one.
Final Verdict: 7/10
It’s just a typical BAT route, and that’s about it. Alright, well, that’s it for the BAT! Right? It’s not like they have a weird minibus flex shuttle that I have to review, right? Nope…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Kudos to the T for sticking it out through the horrible storm today. Check that service updates link for more information on how it’s doing, as tomorrow won’t be much better.
So what did we learn about Brockton and the BAT? It seems to run efficiently with routes that mostly make sense. And the BAT Center is a pretty good place that is positioned well to the commuter rail. For a regional transit authority, you can't ask for too much more than that.
Yes, the BAT is a great system for what it is. Once I finish the behemoth South Station review and catch up on my backlog, I want to go back to the systems I've completed and do full-system reviews that talk about them as a whole. It would be a good way to sum them up and to discuss the quirks of each one.
Well you could start with the mbta since that's the system you probably know the most
Hey Miles, If this is the final BAT route then why is the Rockland Flex and BSU service not reviewed yet?
He didn’t say “the final BAT route”. He said “our final BAT route.” Reading is good 😉
Well, I did allude to the presence of their minibus route I have to review in the "Final Verdict" section…
What time you start on Sunday?
11:30 AM, but I’m not BAT.