RIPTA: 67 (Bellevue/Salve Regina University)
There are a bunch of different privately operated trolley companies in Newport, some of which are more sketchy than others. But why use those vehicles of uncertain quality to get around when you can just ride good ol’ Uncle RIPTA? The 67 is the premiere form of tourist transportation within Newport.
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| Looping around to start the route – I just stayed on down and back. |
The southern end begins with a u-turn. Looping at the end of Bellevue Ave, we headed back down it and the road curved north. Having never been to the Mansions before, this was crazy – the road was lined with big shady trees, old-fashioned street lamps, and mansion after mansion hidden behind big walls and fences. Some of them were museums, such as Belcourt Castle and Marble House, while others were still being lived in, occupied by very very rich people.
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| That’s huge! |
We soon turned onto Ruggles Ave, which was narrower. Among the huge homes were some repurposed ones for Salve Regina University, but when we turned onto Ochre Point Ave, we passed the largest mansion in Newport (and the 21st largest in America): The Breakers. This was a very major stop, but it was less busy afterwards as we went through the on-break Salve Regina University.
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| Making a turn. |
We turned onto Narragansett Ave, then Bellevue Ave, going by more opulent mansions the whole time. Bowery Street was basically the boundary between mansions and the real world: there was one more after that, but then we passed two shopping malls and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. We were back in civilization.
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| Memorial Boulevard. |
Crossing Memorial Boulevard, there was a wide variety of scenery, such as businesses, houses, parks, and the Newport Art Museum. Normally the route would run down Touro Street, but since it was the summer, we did the “summer” route up the residential Kay Street. Dense houses continued as we turned onto Mann Ave, but there was lots of retail as we made our way onto Broadway, passing Newport City Hall.
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| Turning onto Broadway. |
We headed down Marlborough Street, then turned onto the very narrow Thames Street. This cobblestone thoroughfare is the main drag of Newport, and there were charming businesses and pedestrians closed in on either side. Finally, we looped around onto America’s Cup Ave, which led us back up to the Newport Visitor’s Center.
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| The fake trolley looping around at Gateway Center. |
RIPTA Route: 67 (Bellevue/Salve Regina University)
Ridership: Based on my round trip, the 67 is a well-frequented route by tourists. There were 15 riders going south and 10 coming back up. Basically everyone used it to get to the mansions.
Pros: This is a fantastic route for tourists, running every 20 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends during the summer, and every half hour for the off-season. It connects up downtown Newport to a variety of attractions for just $2, and conveniently, almost every stop gets an automatic announcement so people know where they’re going (gotta love the old lispy lady RIPTA announcer!). Also, while I’m usually against using fake trolleys, the RIPTA ones are rather nice.
Cons: This route has a layover problem. On weekends it’s fine, but on weekdays and during the off-season, the route requires one more vehicle than it needs. For example, when it’s running every 20 minutes on summer weekdays, the route takes 41 minutes for a round trip – thus, each bus lays over for 19 minutes, and you need three of them to run the service. Counter that with the weekend service, which also uses three buses, but it’s every 15 minutes, so it actually makes sense!
Nearby and Noteworthy: You’ve got lots of mansions to choose from. Take your pick: The Breakers, Rosecliff, Marble House, Belcourt Castle, The Elms, and probably many more that aren’t shown on the route map!
Final Verdict: 8/10
The bottom line is that the 67 is a great tourist connector, and tourists couldn’t give a hoot how much layover time the route gets. However, from a transit planning perspective, this is one of the least efficiently run routes I’ve ever seen: each bus spends a third of its time doing nothing! There’s not much that can be done about that…unless, perhaps, you extend the route? With a few turns past the terminus, it could go out to Gooseberry Beach, which looks like it gets pretty busy. It would add about 6 minutes to the overall run time, which would be great for weekdays and the off-season, but not so great for the 15 minute service on summer weekends – an extra bus would have to be added. Maybe we’re stuck with the current inefficient route, then…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
RIPTA: 231 (South Aquidneck Flex)
Have you ever wanted to take a bus to the beach, but upon arrival at the beach, you find out that there’s no way of getting back unless you had called in the previous business day? Yeah, I hate when that happens too. Screw the 231.
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| I like the color of the bus! |
The 231 is considered a Flex service, meaning you can call it from anywhere in its “Flex Zone” – however, it also has a timetable and follows a fixed route, with certain stops where you can board without a reservation. As you’ll soon see, it doesn’t exactly work. Our little minibus made its way out from the Visitors Center to America’s Cup Ave.
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| A parking lot…but you can see a boat in the background! |
This wide boulevard ran along the harbor, and there were various businesses along it. Soon we turned onto Thames Street, a narrow, one-way road. There were many stores on either side and people walking around – too bad the 231, the one bus route along this main drag. doesn’t actually make stops!
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| A narrow alleyway. |
I was amazed to see just how long the street went along while still harboring charming buildings, unique businesses, and lots of pedestrian traffic. Just as it started to thin out and houses began to appear between the retail…there was a stop. Just…a stop. At Thames and Lee. I have no idea why they put it here and not, you know, where there are lots of people and stores. Also, it would seem the stop used to have an actual shelter, but now it’s just a measly sign.
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| This architecture is so diverse! |
Even when the narrow road got more residential with dense houses on both sides, there were still businesses mixed in with them. Finally, it succumbed to all dwellings when we merged onto the wider Carroll Ave. We weren’t on it for too long, though, looping around a few side streets to arrive at another scheduled stop: Rose and Carroll. It had a shelter, and someone actually got on! It was an old lady going to a medical appointment.
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| A convenience store. |
Because the schedule has to be padded to allow flex deviations to occur, we had to wait here, since we hadn’t done any deviations. Mmmm, gotta love being early on a bus! We went back up to Carroll Ave, which curved into Morton Ave. We turned onto Spring Street next, a narrow road with dense historical houses on one side and the backs of the vast lawns of the Newport Mansions on the other. There was a timepoint stop at Lee Street with no one waiting.
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| There was a huge wall for most of the mansion section, so here’s a street later on. |
Once the mansions ended, it was just dense houses along Spring Street. We soon turned onto America’s Cup Ave once more, returning us to the Visitors Center. Once again we were early, but the passenger had to get to her medical appointment soon, so the driver decided to leave the station five minutes ahead of schedule. Goodness, this flex route is so “flexy” that it completely ignored its schedule!
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| That is such a tiny park! |
We went down Marlborough Street, a mixture of houses and parking lots, at least until we merged onto Broadway. Once on Broadway, there were businesses on one side and the big Newport City Hall building on the other. Once City Hall ended, there was retail for just a little longer before it became mostly residential.
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| A very…slanted view of City Hall. |
Coming next to the Newport Hospital, we deviated inside to drop the lady off to her appointment. After that, we headed onto Powel Ave until it ended, where we turned onto Kay Street. This was residential, but it wasn’t nearly as dense as it had been in the inner Newport core.
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| It’s definitely more suburban now. |
Kay Street eventually curved into Kay Boulevard, but it wasn’t long before we made a few more twists and turns onto Green End Ave. We were in Middletown now, circling around the northern edge of a pond. The route would normally turn onto Valley Road, but we had a scheduled pick-up, so we stayed on Green End. It would be interesting to see how the “flex” capabilities of the Flex service worked.
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| The pond. |
It was residential until we reached Aquidneck Ave, onto which we turned. It was mostly suburban businesses with parking lots here, but there was also a clinic for Southcoast Health – this is where we deviated. We pulled into its parking lot and waited for the person we were picking up. And waited. And waited. After five minutes, the driver said the guy cancelled, and so we just left to continue on the route as if nothing had ever happened. Alright then, cool, thanks for wasting my time!
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| Nice, a farm! |
We continued down Aquidneck Ave, lined mostly with houses. As it curved southwest, we passed an elementary school, then we turned into the Aquidneck Corporate Park. Among the many office buildings with parking lots, we turned into one of them, Child and Family Services. Normally the route wouldn’t deviate into it, but we had to in order to turn around (we were coming from the opposite direction of the “normal” route). This was a timepoint stop, but the actual sign was outside the facility on the main road!
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| The bus pulled onto the grass so cars could still go by. What a well-planned stop… |
Despite having to make that deviation and wait five minutes, we were still early! I guess it was because of that early departure from Newport. Also, the driver said that in all his time driving this route, he had never had a soul get on or off here. Once we were able to leave, the next timepoint stop was very close – after cutting through some parking lots, we arrived at the YMCA, another stop the driver said that no one ever uses.
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| Wow, there’s a lot going on here! |
We went down Valley Road from there, which went along the water before getting some businesses alongside it when it merged with Aquidneck Ave. The road curved westward into Memorial Boulevard, passing more retail and some hotels, then we entered Newport on an isthmus with a pond on one side and Easton’s Beach on the other. But there was something problematic about it…
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| Looking across the pond. |
If a passenger wants to get to the beach, it’s very simple: they board at the Visitors Center and tell the driver they wish to go to the beach. Easy. However, getting back is another story – Easton’s Beach has no timepoint stop. That means that in order to take a bus trip to the beach, someone would have to call in on the previous business day to schedule a pickup at a certain time from the beach. ARE. YOU. SERIOUS??????
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| This bus route ought to go down a dead end and never come back! |
As the beach ended, we passed the Cliff Walk, a very scenic path which you can take the 231 to, walk to the other end, and take the 67 back. Not the other way, though, unless you want to call in the previous business day. Mm-mm, lovely. Past the cliff walk, there was all manner of buildings along Memorial Boulevard, from houses to businesses to bed and breakfasts to schools.
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| Coming back into Newport proper. |
The retail started to become more abundant and the houses denser. Once we curved north and the street became America’s Cup Ave, there were businesses everywhere – we were back in downtown Newport. We stayed on here all the way up until the Visitors Center, where the trip finally ended. ARGH!
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| Get outta here! |
RIPTA Route: 231 (South Aquidneck Flex)
Ridership: Awful. Awful. My trip only had one person, and on some days it can be even worse – the driver said that he gets lonely sometimes because he’s just driving an empty bus around all day. He called the experience “maddening.” Shoutout to the awesome driver of the 231, by the way!
Pros: I’m not gonna lie, it serves a lot. This is the only bus route to go anywhere near the dense businesses and houses of southwestern Newport, while Easton’s Beach and the Cliff Walk are important tourist destinations.
Cons: Everything about the way this route is operated is nonsensical. There’s the ridiculously padded schedule with 90 minute headways (weekdays and Saturdays) that’s only like that because there’s the possibility of someone making a flex deviation. There’s the stupidly placed timepoint stops, including two locations that no one ever uses, while places like Easton’s Beach are left with nothing. And there’s the fact that because of those two huge problems, this is one of the stupidest bus routes I’ve ever had the misfortune of riding.
Nearby and Noteworthy: It’s the one bus route that “serves” Thames Street, even though it just skips by everything, and the one bus route that “serves” Easton’s Beach, even though the service is one-way. NICE.
Final Verdict: 1/10
Whenever someone asks me to give an example of an awful bus route, I always use this one. There is absolutely nothing about it that makes any sense. It honestly shouldn’t even be a flex route – heck, it’s practically a fixed route already, if you don’t count the potential for deviations. Well…what if it was a fixed route?
So this is basically a version of the flex route…without flexes. I tried to accommodate as many useful deviations as possible, though, particularly with the Newport Hospital and Southcoast Health. Of course, the fixed routing would allow for more stops, which would come particularly in handy on the Newport segment, where simple stops could be established on Thames Street closer to the action.
And here’s the schedule. Now, this is really not an optimal schedule – it doesn’t have as much padding as I would like it to have, and one small slip-up can lead to a bus getting very late. I think the solution might be to cut out the Southcoast Health deviation and run the bus on a more direct route. Maybe even cut Newport Hospital, too – it would still pass very close to it on Broadway, and that would allow for a faster trip and thus more grace time in the schedule.
That being said, anything’s better than the trash running right now.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
RIPTA: Newport Visitors Center
The hub of all of the RIPTA Newport routes (and coach buses) was unfortunately under construction when I was here in the summer, so the terminal might be a bit different now. Got it? Cool, let’s do this.
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| Approaching the building from the south. |
I’m not gonna lie and say that I like the Visitors Center building, but it gets the job done. It’s big, it’s bold, and you can tell what it is when you see it. Alongside the structure, there’s a small plaza with some foliage and benches.
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| Geez, that’s a lot of attractions! |
They’re not joking when they say this is a Visitors Center. It is a hardcore Visitors Center. The moment you step in the door, you’re in a room with tons of random booklets and posters advertising various attractions and services…plus a vending machine. And that’s not even the main part of it! Once you come into the actual Center, a huge circular information desk is the centerpiece to a room with many, many more brochures.
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| More, more, more… |
Among other attractions in the room, there is a gift shop that sells various Newport paraphernalia. Beyond that, a diverse seating area features round chairs, short seats with tables, and tall seats with tables, all next to a floor-to-ceiling map of the surrounding area. Service desks in the building allow for reservations of tours and rental cars. And of course, there are racks of brochures everywhere.
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| Moving to the transportation area. |
The first thing to greet passengers at the entrance to the transportation waiting area is a coffee maker with Starbucks coffee. Nice. The transportation area itself is less attractive than the rest of the Visitors Center, but it’s fine – there’s lots of seating space, as well as water fountains, wastebaskets, vending machines, a change machine, schedules, and a great bathroom.
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| It’s a work in progress. |
The layout of the terminal has changed since I was here, but I can still talk about the overall design. It’s very simple, with sheltered benches spread across four RIPTA berths. There’s a middle section for coach buses and a pull-over part alongside the main road for tour buses. Rounding out the terminal is a taxi stand, some bike racks, and a three-story parking garage.
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| The garage. |
RIPTA Station: Newport Visitors Center
Ridership: Honestly, most of the “ridership” here seems to be in the form of endless tourists occupying the Visitors Center section! That being said, this is still a major ridership draw for RIPTA routes, particularly in that it offers a transfer from the long-distance routes (14, 60, 64) to the local 63 and tourist-oriented 67.
Pros: Combining the transit center and the visitors center is a great idea, and I can’t believe this doesn’t happen more often! What better way to attract tourists to your bus service than to put it in the same place as their main source of information? Not only does the Newport Visitors Center offer a hub for many different types of bus routes, but it’s also got lots of amenities and all the brochures you could ever need in a lifetime.
Cons: If anything, the terminal is a little far from the main goings-on of Newport, but that’s necessary because of the amount of space needed for this hub. Anyway, a little walking never hurt anyone.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Locally around the transit center, there are tons of businesses in really charming buildings! I have no idea what the situation is like in the winter, though…
Final Verdict: 8/10
Putting the transit center in the visitors center is ingenious! Hopefully some hapless tourists in here have been convinced to take the RIPTA 67 while getting information about the area! It’s great for both its functions, though, serving as a helpful visitors center as well as an efficient transit center.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Providence to Newport Ferry
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| Not yet, though. |
First we have to take a look at the Providence terminal for this thing, because it’s pretty darn bad. There’s a good amount of free parking, which is nice, but that about ends the good parts. The terminal has a lame little “bike rack” that someone probably drove here in a pickup truck, as well as a random wastebasket (just one in the whole facility!) and two vending machines that were most likely transported in the same way.
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| Better than nothing, I guess. |
I was worried when I saw a big outhouse, but it turns out that’s only one of two bathroom options. Passengers can alternatively use the trailer right next to it, which has an important notice outside: “NO FACILITIES ON TRAINS.” Okay, first of all…what? Second of all, the boat actually does have a bathroom, which we’ll look at later. Anyway, these trailer bathrooms weren’t even that bad, boasting relative cleanliness, even though they were a little cramped.
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| The “ticket office.” |
A makeshift tent was set up to shelter passengers waiting in line for tickets. It’s not much, and the ticket booths are just in a trailer, but it works fine. The ticket prices for this ferry are $10, and you can buy them online in advance or right here at the terminal. A nice wooden ramp leads down to the dock.
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| It’s busy already! |
This boat is awesome. The lower deck is super fancy, with carpeted floors, wooden ceilings, and comfy-looking seats. There’s also a snack bar (a “galley”) with a wide variety of refreshments and bags of chips and pretzels. The bathroom isn’t bad either! Meanwhile, the upper deck is simpler, with less comfortable benches for seating, but come on – that’s the place to be!
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| Wow! |
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| A selection between soap and Purell. Fancy. |
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| The upper deck. |
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| Leaving the dock. |
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| The Rhode Island Hospital. |
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| A big cargo ship and some windmills. |
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| What is that stone thing? |
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| That is such a nice skyline! |
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| Houses. |
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| A really isolated lighthouse. |
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| Another less isolated lighthouse with the beautiful Pell Bridge in the background. |
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| Houses going up a hill. |
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| Another huge ship! |
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| Getting closer to the Pell Bridge. |
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| Straight under… |
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| …and onto the other side! |
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| Coming into Newport Harbor. |
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| The boat all parked up! |
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| The building. |
Route: Providence to Newport Ferry
Ridership: Over the course of summer 2016, the ferry got 33,000 passengers, with many trips actually sold out. Luckily mine wasn’t, but it still had a healthy 50 or so riders on board. People seem to like this thing!
Pros: For 20 bucks round trip, the ferry may be a lot more expensive than just hoofing it on RIPTA, but you certainly get VIP treatment for the price. The boat is luxurious, the ride is fast, and there’s nothing more fun than sailing out across Narragansett Bay. It offers service every 3 hours in the summer, which I think is a fine frequency for a long-distance tourist-oriented route like this.
Cons: That Providence terminal isn’t great, is it? Granted, it’s only active for a quarter of the year, so I guess the temporary feel of it is a necessary evil.
Nearby and Noteworthy: If the idea of taking a long local bus service to Newport is daunting, then the boat might be more your speed. Newport is a fabulous beach town to spend the day (or the week) at, at least in the summer.
Final Verdict: 9/10
I seem to always give ferries high marks on this blog. But come on, this is such a great service – once you get past the Providence terminal, there’s nothing really wrong with it! I was thinking that it would be awesome if the boat ran year-round and offered some sort of commuter pass for workers going to Providence, but I don’t know how big that market is between the two cities. Just a thought.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
RIPTA: 91 (Ferry Shuttle)
Boy, I can’t wait to ride this summer-only bus route to this summer-only ferry service! Mm-mm, I am totally not late at all on this one…
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| The bus coming into Providence Station. |
The 91 serves as a free connector from Providence Station and downtown Providence to the ferry to Newport down at India Point. I boarded at the station (the route uses the R-Line stop), and we headed down Exchange Street. This took us over the Providence River, after which we turned onto Exchange Terrace and stopped at Kennedy Plaza Stop X.
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| Going over the river. |
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| A quiet side street. |
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| The strange desolate area of the ferry terminal. |
RIPTA: 31 (Cranston Street)
The 31 is my favorite kind of bus route: short, busy, and frequent. In fact, this is one of the most frequent routes on the RIPTA, and thus it gets a “Key Corridor Route” designation. It is a very well-deserved moniker, as we’ll see on my ride…
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| The bus making its u-turn to the first stop. |
The route starts at “Brewery Parkade,” a lame shopping plaza just over the Cranston border. From there, we headed up Garfield Ave, running alongside the Huntington Expressway and passing a mix of suburban businesses, houses, and office buildings. We turned onto Cranston Street at the end of Garfield Ave, and as we went under the Expressway, we entered Providence.
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| A residential side street. |
For the entire length of the 31’s independent section, Cranston Street was the same thing: dense houses interspersed with varied businesses. It was entirely that, picking up a few passengers at each stop, until we merged with the 18 next to the huge Cranston Street Armory. The scenery changed a little bit after that, now including some housing developments and a field.
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| Between two buildings. |
We merged with the 17 and the 19 on Westminster Street, and here it started to feel even denser than it was before: there were businesses, apartments, and the ProvidenceClassical High School. After going over I-95, we made our way to Washington Street via Dave Gavitt Way. We were in downtown Providence now, and on either side there were multi-story buildings with businesses, apartments, parking, and more, all the way until we reached Kennedy Plaza.
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| A different bus in Providence. |
RIPTA Route: 31 (Cranston Street)
Ridership: The 31 gets great ridership, and back when RIPTA’s ridership statistics were public, I remember reading that this was one of the busiest routes on the system. My trip only had about 15 people, but other ones were busier.
Pros: This is a quick ride, but it runs through some very dense and transit-starved neighborhoods. It’s also extremely frequent for RIPTA, with service every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 25 minutes nights and weekends!
Cons: From what I observed, it seems like the route uses one bus too many, on weekdays at least, with two buses laying over simultaneously at Brewery Parkade. I guess maybe the on-time performance of the route is sketchy, and I could see why: my ride had enough red lights along the way that I was thinking this would be a good route for transit signal priority.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The route passes lots of businesses, mostly catering to the large Hispanic population it serves.
Final Verdict: 8/10
This is a great little connection from Brewery Parkade and the West End of Providence into downtown. It’s frequent, it’s well-used, and it runs every day. I think they could probably take away a bus from the route while maintaining the frequency, but maybe it can get late enough that they need another vehicle.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Please send your thoughts and prayers to the victims of the train derailment in Seattle today. Thank you.
RIPTA: 8x (Jefferson Boulevard)
Considering RIPTA’s typical express policy of three inbound trips in the morning and three outbound trips in the evening, it’s interesting to see one that’s primarily designed for reverse commuters. The 8X is especially unique, as it gets ridership in both directions! We’ll be covering it when it gets peak ridership: the morning rush going outbound.
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| Comin’ round the bend. |
I got the bus at Kennedy Plaza, which is its last stop after doing the whole Downcity Loop around downtown Providence. Thus, we only had to make a few short turns before navigating a complex interchange onto I-95! We curved around the south side of Providence in a trench, but we went elevated near the Rhode Island Hospital.
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| I have no idea where this is, but it was the only good picture I got along the express bit. |
We reentered trench-land for a while, going alongside Roger Williams Park. After an interchange with the Huntington Expressway, there were roads on either side of our trench – one of them was residential, one of them was industrial. We went over the Pawtuxet River, then we took Exit 15 onto Jefferson Boulevard, starting the local portion of the route.
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| Some gas station. |
So the entire portion of the 8X on Jefferson Boulevard was the same thing: a bunch of industrial buildings and offices lining the road. We just trundled down the street dropping one or two people off for work at each stop, and that was about it. There were a few businesses and a hotel near TF Green Airport Station (the 8 being the only route that directly serves it), but then it was the same thing again until Main Ave.
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| How the heck does a tree just grow in the middle of a parking lot? How does that work? |
Some of the reverse commute oriented trips end here at Main Ave, turning around at the Greenwood Community Church. However, I was on a full-length run, so we turned onto Main Ave, briefly going through a residential neighborhood. That ended very quickly when we hit the border of TF Green Airport – there was just this huge expanse of open space and gigantic runways that continued as we turned onto Warwick Industrial Drive.
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| I was sitting on the wrong side, so here are some…trees. |
We left the outskirts of the airport by turning onto Strawberry Field(s Forever) Road, and despite being mostly residential, there was still a huge industrial building with a ton of companies in it. We let someone off there before proceeding past lots of houses. Both the route map and the schedule seem to show a one-block deviation at the intersection with West Shore Road, but we didn’t make it – we headed straight onto West Shore.
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| Some houses. |
After the burst of suburban businesses at that intersection, we went through another brief residential area. We turned onto Buttonwoods Ave eventually, and that was yet another intersection with a burst of suburban businesses. And once again, it went back to being residential for a short time, this time until the “Buttonwoods Terrace Plaza,” a truly awful-looking shopping center. As it turns out, that was the end of the route, too!
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| Ewwww… |
RIPTA Route: 8x (Jefferson Boulevard)
Ridership: Unfortunately, RIPTA appears to have removed its route ridership sheets from 2012 that were such a helpful resource for this section. Thus, I’m forced to rely on my own trip, which got pretty good bidirectional ridership for an express route: there were 15 riders going out and 8 coming back into the city.
Pros: An express route with bidirectional ridership is a rare occasion indeed, and a wonderful thing when it does occur. The 8x serves both workers at the office parks along Jefferson Boulevard and downtown commuters coming from the residential neighborhoods further out along the route. The schedule caters more to the former, but there are options for everybody, with six inbound and seven outbound trips per weekday.
Cons: There isn’t much wrong with the route itself, to be honest. The only thing I can think of is that weird deviation on the map that doesn’t seem to exist, and if it did exist, would be completely pointless.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Let’s be honest, the scenery along the entire route kinda sucks. It really doesn’t take you anywhere you would want to go.
Final Verdict: 7/10
It’s an express route so its score is not going to be astronomically high by principal, but I still like the 8x a lot. It’s truly a great thing to have an express route that gets ridership in both directions, and it’s so much more efficient to run when that’s the case. Too bad I still have no idea what that deviation is…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Bonus Review: 89/93 (Clarendon Hill – Haymarket Station via Charlestown
What’s the best way of getting to South Station for a 5:30 AM train to Providence? How about walking to Clarendon Hill for the early-morning 89/93 trip that only departs at 4:33 AM? Sounds good to me!
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| The Clarendon Hill busway is weird at this time… |
It was an interesting experience waiting at Clarendon Hill at 4:15. I was worried the bus just flat-out wouldn’t show up. After all, there was no one else there – who knows, maybe the route didn’t exist. Finally, another person showed up. There was hope! And wouldn’t you know it, the bus came right on time at 4:33.
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| Well well! |
We took off down Broadway in the quiet morning, speeding past tons of dense houses. There was a burst of retail at Teele Square, but then it was all triple-decker apartments until Powderhouse Square. Usually a complete mess, the Rotary of Death was quite manageable at 4 AM!
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| Some businesses in Powderhouse Square. |
We continued down Broadway past the rotary, passing a lot of businesses and going over some Commuter Rail tracks. There was a mix of buildings on the other side: a park, houses, and businesses. It leaned completely over to the latter at Magoun Square, though, and we gained quite a few passengers here.
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| Apparently Dunks is busy at all hours of the day! |
We went over a hill past lots of houses and a few apartment buildings. Once we merged with Main Street, Broadway got much wider and gained a median. There were also more businesses now, some with parking lots and some without. There was a large park as we crossed McGrath Highway, and it was almost entirely retail lining the road after that.
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| It’s amazing that these pictures actually came out alright! |
We simultaneously went under I-93 and over the Orange Line tracks, then we pulled into the Sullivan Station busway. I was surprised to see a bunch of people get off here – the first train wouldn’t be for a while! Now it was time for the 93 portion of the route, so we made our way around a rotary past the Schrafft Building and onto Main Street.
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| Sullivan, but with no trains. |
It became Bunker Hill Street and we were now passing the lovely, charming, diverse apartments of Charlestown – there really wasn’t all that much else along here. At one point we went by an apartment development, while on the other side there would have normally been a view of the Bunker Hill Monument. We passed a school, then we turned onto Lowney Way, which ran next to the Tobin Bridge.
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| A WALL!!!!!!!! |
We curved onto Adams Street, leaving the shadow of the Tobin. This took us into Winthrop Square, a beautiful common surrounded by some of the most beautiful old apartments in the city. We turned onto Park Street here, and eventually made our way onto the wide North Washington Street.
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| The quality of this picture was totally on purpose, guys… |
We went over the North Washington Street Bridge with ease – usually it’s packed with traffic. Now on the Boston peninsula proper, we deviated from the normal 93 by turning onto Causeway Street. I guess this was in order to serve North Station, and surprisingly, a good amount of people got off here!
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| That feels like more traffic than it should be for a little before 5. |
We headed to the end of Congress Street and made our way around onto Merrimac Street, going by some ugly office buildings on one side and brick ones on the other. Just before the huge Government Center parking garage, we turned onto New Chardon Street, then pulled into the Haymarket Busway, ending this amazing early-morning experience.
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| Man, that was awesome. |
Route: 89/93 (Clarendon Hill – Haymarket Station via Charlestown
Ridership: This website gives the ridership data for the T’s early morning routes. The 89/93, internally known as the 194 (and that’s what the automatic announcement calls it) doesn’t get particularly good ridership as far as the early morning routes go, with an average of 24 people on its run (my trip got 20). Still, that’s decent, and it’s clear that a good amount of people rely on this bus.
Pros: The 89/93 is a very important connection for early-morning workers in Somerville and Charlestown. This is pretty obvious, but the route is fast, and it gets from Clarendon Hill to Haymarket in less than half an hour!
Cons: There isn’t much wrong with the route itself. I mean, one could make an argument that Boston area citizens would benefit heavily from a 24-hour bus network based on these early morning routes, but that’s already been made much better than I could’ve done it.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Well hey, if you live in Somerville or Charlestown and you want to get to the many noteworthy attractions of downtown Boston, this is the bus for you! Sort of.
Final Verdict: 8/10
As a route, the 89/93 does its job faithfully, running exactly on time every morning and getting workers into the city. There isn’t that much else to say about it, other than that I had a great time riding it! Just don’t expect any more early morning reviews – Clarendon Hill happens to be within walking distance from my house, so this was easy to take, but the other routes are just too inaccessible to ride. Plus, they’re not referred to publicly as their internal route numbers, so they’re not considered separate routes.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: 21 (Andover Shuttle)
What the heck is the 21, MVRTA? Deviations, weird headways, and PVTA Syndrome…oh my!
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| Oh, and it goes to a senior center. Even better! |
We left the North Andover Mall onto Winthrop Ave, but we soon turned onto Waverly Road, the first cross street we came across. It’s worth noting, though, that the northbound routing goes a slightly different way in order to serve the YMCA. It’s only a short spur, as the two directions come back together with our next deviation into “Doctors Park,” a small medical center.
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| Hanging out in Doctors Park. |
There was just one small problem: we were seven minutes early. Alrighty, then, time to wait! With the departure time of 6:16 reached, we headed out onto Haverhill Street, which was lined with houses for a while. After we went under the Commuter Rail tracks, though, there were large suburban office buildings everywhere.
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| Some houses in the residential section. |
We soon turned onto North Main Street, joining up with the 32. We were with it for about 30 seconds before having to make a deviation into Frye Circle, a housing development. It’s strange that this small hilly development was chosen for the deviation, rather than – I dunno – the large, not hilly development right across the street.
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| Inside Frye Circle. |
We returned to North Main Street and the 32 for another 30 seconds, but then it was time for another deviation! In my 32 review, I expressed delight that the route doesn’t have to serve Shawsheen Plaza – well, the 21 does. After looping around its parking lot, we returned to North Main Street.
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| Weeee! |
We turned onto Railroad Ave, taking us alongside the Commuter Rail tracks past an apartment building and some businesses. After going by the station, we crossed the tracks onto School Street, which went through a cemetery to Central Street. We took that up to Andover Center, where we turned onto Main Street amidst lots of charming businesses.
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| Some of the awesome buildings in Andover Center. |
After going through the Center, it was time for a lot of craziness. We turned left onto Punchard Ave, left onto Bartlett Street, right onto Chestnut Street, right onto Whittier Street, and left into the Andover Senior Center. After that it was right on Bartlett Street, right on Chestnut Street, right on Chestnut Court, and…oh, last stop? In this weird housing development? Alright, time to run back to Andover to get the Commuter Rail!
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| This is a weird terminus… |
MVRTA Route: 21 (Andover Shuttle)
Ridership: The 21 received 19,208 riders in 2015, making it the least-used local MVRTA route. Wanna know how many people per day that is? 74! And that means that the 21 gets a grand average of 3-4 riders per trip. Mm-mm, that’s bad.
Pros: I see this route as primarily being a link from Andover to the North Andover Mall, both a major transfer point and a popular place to shop. Also, most of the route’s deviations make sense, and I like how the MVRTA gave them to this route instead of the 32.
Cons: Still, the deviations have some quirks. Why serve Frye Circle instead of the bigger development across the street? Why serve the Senior Center twice when the route could just do a figure-8 with Chestnut Court. And why give the route so much padding between Doctors Park and the North Andover Mall? Look, right now the 21 runs every 70 minutes, making it completely incapable of timing with other MVRTA routes. If the route was given less unnecessary time to the Andover Mall and if the Senior Center was only served once, this could easily run every hour, which is beneficial in so many ways.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I like the look of Andover Center a lot, but the 32 is the far better choice…or, indeed, the Commuter Rail.
Final Verdict: 3/10
This route has such little ridership that it could probably be eliminated, but I do think it serves at least some purpose. The problem is that the route is done so inefficiently that it’s stuck with this infrequent, non-clockface schedule that could be fixed so easily! Cut the padding and simplify the routing in Andover – that’s it! Every hour! Boom!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: 33 (North Andover)
Whenever my train gets into Lawrence, I always check the 33 schedule to see if there’s a bus coming to the station to take me to Lawrence. So far, I haven’t been lucky, being forced to do the rather long walk to the Buckley Transportation Center. Still, the 33 has more of an identity than being the only local route to directly serve the Commuter Rail station, so let’s see what else it does!
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| Geez, Buckley, I have barely any room to even stand! |
We went alongside a common on Common Street, but once that ended, it was businesses, apartments, and parking lots lining the road. It ended at a gigantic old mill where we turned onto Union Street, taking us over a canal, past some more old factories, and over the Merrimack River. Once on the other side, we deviated into the Commuter Rail station, referred to on the schedule as the “McGovern Transportation Center.”
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| Crossing the river. |
Heading down Merrimack Street, there was a lot of modern retail development, both in retrofitted factories and in new shopping plazas. We entered North Andover once we went under I-495 and the street turned into Sutton Street. Once we passed through a weird diagonal level crossing with some train tracks, we turned onto Main Street.
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| The level crossing. |
Main Street was the principal thoroughfare of what I’m going to call North Andover Center. It was much more spread-out than your typical downtown, with lots of dense houses in between the businesses. However, it was still really charming, especially with the awesome historical architecture and the character-filled winding narrow road passing through it all.
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| Some lovely businesses. |
It stayed like this for a good while, and even the annoying shopping plaza in the middle of it all had tasteful architecture. Once Main Street curved south past a church, though, we officially left the center and the road became lined with houses. It was totally residential (aside from a library and a church) until we turned onto Chickering Road outside of the North Andover Middle School.
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| Heading onto Chickering. |
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| Yup, here we are. |
Ridership: Alas, this is one of the least-used Lawrence routes: it got 93,803 riders in 2015, or about 257 people per day. How many people were on my trip? Three. WOOOOOOOOO!!!
Pros: This is North Andover’s primary bus route, serving its town center and some important neighborhoods. It also connects them to the Commuter Rail, and even though it’s kinda weird that this is the only route that serves it, I guess that’s a good thing for North Andover commuters! The 33 has the typical MVRTA pulse schedule, offering service every half hour during weekday peak periods and every hour all other times, seven days a week.
Cons: I feel like the ridership on this route is far too low to justify the half-hourly pulse at rush hour. I mean, my ride was during the “evening rush” and it only got three passengers, so clearly this isn’t a very peak-oriented route. Annoyingly, the 33 interlines with the 40, which is one of the busiest routes out of Lawrence! If it was interlined with something with similarly low ridership like the 34, the half-hourly peak period could be eliminated and service could stay every hour.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I loved North Andover Center from my brief pass through it. It’s not your typical downtown where everything is in one place, but Main Street has some really interesting and unique businesses along much of its length, and it’s still dense and walkable.
Final Verdict: 6/10
It’s clear that the 33 is an important route and a good amount of people rely on it. It serves some important neighborhoods and connects them up to a major shopping center on one end and Lawrence on the other. However, let’s be clear: it really doesn’t need to run every half hour at rush hour. I’m serious, this could easily be interlined with the 34 and then that problem would be solved easily! Both of the routes get low ridership, so their peak periods could be eliminated.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: 1 (Lawrence – Methuen – Haverhill)
Welcome to the busiest route on the MVRTA! This bad boy takes a direct shot from Lawrence to Haverhill, via Methuen…in which it has to make a bunch of deviations. Okay, the shot is mostly direct.
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| The bus at the Washington Square Transit Station. |
We went down Washington Street through downtown Haverhill, but it ended definitively when we passed under the Commuter Rail tracks. We merged onto River Street, which was lined with apartments and occasional businesses and industrial buildings. It was a mix of all those things for a while until we came alongside the Merrimack River – here, it became all residential.
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| Back when it was a mix. |
There were some suburban businesses and a shopping plaza near I-495. The plaza is directly deviated to by other Haverhill routes, but the 1 gets you there a lot faster, even sans deviation. On the other side of 495, there were more houses as we curved with the Merrimack River.
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| Houses indeed. |
There was a short section of trees, and it marked the point where we entered Methuen. The road was Merrimack Street now, but not much else changed until we went under I-495 and it got industrial. Next, we turned onto the residential Pleasant Valley Street, the start of the 1’s very long deviation, including no less than three mini-deviations within the deviation!
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| A rugged side street. |
We crossed 495 again, passed some industrial buildings and a housing development, and went over the “Loop Connector” highway. Suburban businesses with parking lots started to crop up until they morphed into a big shopping plaza called The Loop. This was our first mini-deviation.
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| Woo! |
Next, we used some shopping mall backroads to go to our second mini-deviation, Walmart. After that, we returned to Pleasant Valley Street, going by a farm of all things, and made our last deviation-within-a-deviation into Target. It was alllllllllllll the way back to Merrimack Street from there.
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| Coming out of the Walmart parking lot. |
Back on Merrimack Street, there were a lot of businesses with parking lots, while houses were mostly relegated to side roads. There were other occasional attractions along here too, such as a church and another out-of-place farm. As we got closer to I-495, Merrimack Street got wider and we went by a shopping plaza. Once we got over the highway, it became East Street.
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| Seriously, this farm came out of nowhere! |
It was all houses until we continued onto Swan Street, where there was a tiny spout of retail. And once it did go back to being residential, the houses were becoming denser, and apartments were beginning to be included. There were some more businesses when we turned onto Jackson Street and entered Lawrence, and now all the residential buildings were apartments.
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| Stupid sun, washing out my photo! |
There were always a few retail buildings mixed between the dwellings, but they really amped up after we went over the tiny Spicket River. We passed a big common and then turned onto Essex Street, the main drag of downtown Lawrence. There were lots of businesses as we ambled down here before looping around into the Buckley Transportation Center.
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| A different bus getting ready to head back to Haverhill. |
MVRTA Route: 1 (Lawrence – Methuen – Haverhill)
Ridership: Like I said, this is the busiest route on the MVRTA, and it experienced a huge spike in ridership in 2015. With 409,174 riders in that year, the route had about 1,121 people per day, or more than all of the MVRTA’s Haverhill-based routes combined. Wowie, that’s good!
Pros: For the most part, this is a straight and direct route that connects the MVRTA’s two biggest hubs. Most of the ridership is concentrated at a few major stops, too, so this thing ends up being quick. It even runs every half hour on weekdays, which is great for an RTA – service is less frequent on weekends, though, with a bus only every hour, but that’s still not bad. I also like that the 1 interlines with the 41, meaning passengers can get a one-seat ride from Haverhill all the way to Lowell!
Cons: I think my only big problem with the 1 is that the deviation to The Loop takes forever. That being said, it’s a huge source of ridership for the route, so it at least has a purpose.
Nearby and Noteworthy: In terms of unique attractions along the 1, it’s really just The Loop. Not much else along this thing aside from cities that are already accessible by Commuter Rail.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Not only is this the busiest MVRTA route, but it’s one of the best. It gets great ridership and connects two large cities for only a dollar – three large cities if you add in the 41 interline! Plus, you can’t beat those weekday half hour headways.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: Washington Square Transit Station
Located right in downtown Haverhill, the Washington Square Transit Station is the hub for all of the MVRTA’s routes in the city. But here’s the million-dollar question: is it nice like the Costello Transportation Center, or disgusting like the Buckley Transportation Center?
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| Leaning on the Buckley side of things… |
The main area of the transit center is small and cramped, but it does feel cozier than Buckley. That could be because this is a quieter station, though. Amenities include a wastebasket, some newspaper boxes, a hand sanitizer dispenser, a vending machine, a change machine, a community board, and an information booth. Interestingly, when I came here last for my Service Change, the bench had a bunch of pillows on it, but…uh…I guess they’re gone now.
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| Oh geez… |
Leading around the side of the building, there’s an area with a few more benches and a hallway that goes to the “Sanitary Station.” That’s code for the bathrooms, with both men’s and women’s rooms, although the MVRTA considerately put up signs saying that one can use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. That being said, these are like prison bathrooms. I mean, just look at it! Ew!
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| The mind-bending outer sectton. |
How can such a small building be so maze-like? The outer glass section that wraps around the outside of it has different stair and ramp bits that lead to different parts of the facility. I keep finding myself taking the wrong turn and having to figure out where the heck I am!
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| Phew, made it outside. |
There really isn’t much to say about the boarding area because there’s nothing there. It’s a sidewalk in the middle of a parking lot with spaces for buses to pick people up, and that’s about it. This place does have parking, but I’m not sure how many spaces there are or how much it costs to park in them.
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| The building’s outside. |
MVRTA Station: Washington Square Transit Station
Ridership: I don’t have ridership numbers for this place, but there are fewer Haverhill routes than Lawrence routes, and they’re generally much less busy. From what I’ve seen, it’s usually quiet here.
Pros: It does in fact have walls and a roof, so that’s something. Okay, it also has a fair amount of useful amenities, so this place isn’t all bad.
Cons: I dunno, this whole place feels kinda gross and uncomfortable. I really don’t know if it’s the transit center’s fault or some of the people that use it or maybe both, but everything here feels weird. It’s way more subtle than the outright assault on humanity that Buckley is, but there’s something about Washington Square that’s just not right. Also, the bathrooms are horrible.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Downtown Haverhill isn’t really my cup of tea, but this stop is very much in the thick of things there.
Final Verdict: 4/10
Gosh, I know Washington Square tries to do a lot of things right, but for some reason it all ends up feeling a bit wrong. There are some obvious flaws with the station itself, such as the barebones boarding area or the heinous bathrooms, but the rest is kind of a gut feeling: I don’t like waiting here. And truth be told, I feel perfectly fine waiting at other supposedly “sketchy” transit stations like Ruggles or Dudley, so it might be a problem with the station itself. Who knows? All I know is that I don’t like it here very much.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: 51 (Haverhill – Amesbury)
In comparison to the last route, the 51 is a rather straight connector between Amesbury and Haverhill. It’s also the busiest route based out of Haverhill, despite the fact that it runs more infrequently than the other Haverhill routes. Weird!
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| The bus in Amesbury, coming right off of the 54. |
We pulled out of the Costello Transportation Center and headed down Elm Street into Amesbury Center. Like always, it was gorgeous, with diverse small businesses houses in marvelous brick buildings. We turned onto Friend Street and navigated a roundabout onto School Street, where there were some municipal buildings, houses, and a church.
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| I couldn’t get any good photos of the Center, so here’s…this. |
We officially left the Center as we headed down the residential Sparhawk Street. Dense houses continued when we turned onto Highland Street, although they were broken at one point by a hospital. We merged onto Haverhill Road, passing a big cemetery, some suburban businesses, and an industrial area.
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| Help wanted at Shea, I guess. Apparently they make concrete. |
Eventually the street got more residential, and it was lined with either houses or woods for a while. Businesses started to show up again once we entered Merrimac and it became East Main Street, along with other attractions like a trailer park and a senior center. We came into Merrimac “Square,” a cluster of businesses around a roundabout.
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| Traversing the “Square.” |
We continued down West Main Street in the Haverhill-bound direction, but then we made a strange route jog via Locust Street, Middle Street, and School Street. The neighborhoods it served were mostly residential, and the goal of the deviation was to serve Merri Village, a rather small housing development that didn’t feel like it needed the service. We returned to the Square and headed back onto West Main like nothing ever happened.
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| A narrow street on the deviation. |
It was mostly houses along here, continuing until there were a few industrial buildings over the Haverhill border. The street was Amesbury Road now, and it was a mix of all different kinds of buildings, including residential, retail, and industrial ones. We eventually went under I-495 and turned onto Elliot Street, beginning another deviation.
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| Oho! |
Frankly, I didn’t see the point in serving Northern Essex Community College in the summer, but a few people actually got on there, so I guess it was worth it! After looping around the campus, we made our way back to Amesbury Road, which went alongside Kenoza Lake for a bit with an awesome view. We merged onto the residential Kenoza Ave next.
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| A field along Amesbury Road. |
The street started to get more urban, with denser houses and apartments and some retail coming in. We went down Main Street for a block, which had some shopping plazas, but it was mostly dense houses again when we turned onto White Street, then Emerson Street. We were almost in Haverhill, but for some strange reason we had to deviate to Winter Street and Welcome Street, only to come right back to Emerson. I have no idea why that was, but once we were back on Emerson, it was only a few blocks until we reached the Washington Square Transit Station.
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| The bus enjoying a hearty lunch of passengers. |
MVRTA Route: 51 (Haverhill – Amesbury)
Ridership: Like I said, this is the busiest route based out of Haverhill. Unfortunately, its ridership was at a low in 2015, with 109,127 riders during the year. That means the route got about 300 people per day, which is still pretty good for the number of trips it has. In fact, ridership may have even gone up since then – my ride had 30 people on it!
Pros: The 51 is the gateway to Amesbury and beyond via the 54, offering a quick trip (around half an hour) from Haverhill. It clearly gets a good amount of ridership, but since most of it is concentrated at certain major stops, it allows the route to still move quickly most of the time.
Cons: Because this is interlined with the 54, it has the same annoying headway of every 70 minutes. The really sad thing is that the 51 could be straightened if the Merri Village deviation was eliminated (it doesn’t seem necessary to me), but I don’t think it would improve the time all that much – maybe 5 minutes per round trip. Thus, I think we’re stuck with the 70 minute schedule unless changes are made on the 54.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I would love to spend some time in Amesbury Center, and this is the best way to get there: take the train to Haverhill, pray that the bus times well, and you’ll be in Amesbury in about 30 minutes!
Final Verdict: 7/10
This is better than the 54 because it’s busier and mostly deviation-free, but it’s certainly not perfect. I would absolutely love it if the 51 could get a consistent hourly schedule – unfortunately, I don’t think it’s possible unless some major deviations are cut. Of course, by all means cut Merri Village, because it really doesn’t seem all that important.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: 54 (Amesbury – Newburyport – Salisbury)
Why just take the 83 back from Salisbury Beach when I could do a different route back? Say, a route that does a bunch of deviations and takes three times as long? Looks like the 54 is right up my alley!
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| What an odd-looking background. |
Because it was summer, the start point at Salisbury Beach got a good amount of people, but the route actually serves it all year! I wonder how many people would take it up there now. Anyway, we looped around onto Beach Road and took it through a marsh, then past houses, businesses, and motels.
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| The marsh. |
An old cemetery was the indication that we were about to enter Salisbury Center, a collection of random businesses with parking lots sort of centered around a common. It wasn’t very exciting. We made our way around the common via Elm and School Streets, then we turned onto Bridge Street. It was a mix of industrial buildings, suburban businesses, and marshland, and we sped past it all.
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| Some businesses. |
Eventually we headed over the street’s namesake: a bridge over the Merrimack River with an awesome view. This took us into Newburyport, where we exited the road onto Winter Street. We stayed on that up until High Street, and that took us past a lovely common and a variety of charming historical houses.
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| Nice! |
The common ended but the houses kept on coming, lined up densely along the road. They continued as we turned onto Bromfield Street, as well as when we headed onto Water Street. Unfortunately its name was incorrect, as we did not go by the water!
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| Some houses. |
The street made its way into downtown Newburyport, and all of a sudden there were charming brick buildings with businesses everywhere. They were even more prevalent as we continued onto State Street, eventually making a stop outside of the Newburyport Public Library. That was about where the downtown ended, though, and it was mostly houses after that.
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| Coming through downtown! |
We headed onto Pond Street, which went by that same park from before. Once it became Low Street, everything got a lot more barren, with wide spaces between the buildings. We had to deviate to one of them, an apartment building called Heritage House, then we immediately entered another deviation by going down Graf Road.
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| The weird wasteland around Heritage House. |
It was industry, industry, industry down Graf Road, Parker Street, and Boston Way. With that, we reached this deviation’s destination, Newburyport Station. Of course the route doesn’t time with trains, so nobody got on and we headed straight back.
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| Exiting the station. |
There were more industrial buildings as we returned to Low Street, but we also passed a school. Finally, we reached a point where suburban houses lined the road instead of industry, but we turned off it around there to serve Anna Jaques Hospital. This was a productive deviation, though, as it also allowed us to get up to High Street (with a few twists and turns).
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| Well, this is just weird! |
High Street was lined with fairly dense houses. We passed the Newburyport Senior Center, which supposedly has a deviation, but on the schedule no trips actually serve it. Thus, we sailed right past and merged onto Storey Ave – this took us to an actual deviation for Market Basket Plaza. And right after that, we did another deviation, this time into Port Plaza!
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| Cars, cars, cars. |
We came back onto Storey Ave, which was lined with suburban businesses with parking lots. It didn’t last long, though, because we got onto an on-ramp for…I-95? Wow, I wasn’t expecting the route to have an express section! We sailed through the woods on the highway before making another crossing of the Merrimack River on John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge (I told you this region was obsessed with him).
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| Wow, that’s awesome. |
Taking the first exit on the other side of the bridge in Amesbury, we celebrated the end of the express bit with…a deviation to Stop & Shop. Hooray. From there, we went up the residential Elm Street, whose houses got denser the further we went along. We were about to enter Amesbury Center, but before we could enter it, we pulled into the Nicholas Costello Transportation Center.
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| Some houses on the way there. |
MVRTA: Costello Transportation Center
It’s a little odd to call something a “Transportation Center” when it only serves three routes, one of which has four trips per day only in the summer. This is a legitimate place, though, and it’s not to be underestimated. This review took place over the course of about two minutes while my 54/51 was laying over, so it’ll be a quickie.
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| The outdoor area. |
The Costello Transportation Center is in the same building as the Amesbury Senior Center, and that’s definitely apparent from the outside. It’s pretty bare, featuring only a sheltered area around the building with a bench and some potted plants. There’s a woodsy path on the other side of the busway, too.
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| Heyyyyyy, this isn’t bad! |
I gotta be honest, I wasn’t expecting much when I stepped in there, but I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a legitimate transit center, with features like waiting benches, water fountains, and bathrooms. I didn’t get to go into the bathroom because my driver was using it, but based on the overall quality of the transit center, I’m sure it was clean. There’s even a ticket booth, although it was unstaffed when I was here, and I can’t imagine it ever being staffed.
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| The ticket booth. |
MVRTA Station: Costello Transportation Center
Ridership: It seems pretty low. I don’t have any actual numbers, but this doesn’t seem to be a very busy stop. I mean, the place was empty when I was in here, but three or four people had been waiting for the 51, so there’s that.
Pros: It has everything you would want in a transit center! There are benches, bathrooms, and water fountains, and it’s all very clean. Most of Amesbury Center is a “no-stop zone,” making this the primary Amesbury boarding point, even if it is a little out of the way.
Cons: Well, first of all, I can’t see that ticket booth being occupied…ever. Secondly, this place seems to have John W. Olver syndrome – it’s overkill for the ridership it gets. Now, I could be wrong, and it might be busier at other times, but this definitely doesn’t feel necessary based on the amount of people I saw.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I’ve said already that Amesbury Center is awesome, and this is more or less the stop for it!
Final Verdict: 8/10
This place definitely has some quirks, such as the fact that it’s essentially only serving two bus routes that more or less feel like one, or the fact that it seems to be empty a lot of the time, but there’s no denying it’s a good transit center. And actually, the emptiness is a little more excusable here, since it’s part of the senior center – at least the building is still getting usage somewhere else.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates