You may remember the last time I tried to ride the Barry’s Corner route – it didn’t go so well, thanks to Harvard’s old malfunctioning Blue Bird bus. Luckily, with some time between the end of school and a concert, I was able to head out and try again. Instead of the Blue Bird, this time I got a minibus, which is common for the route, I believe.

The bus laying over in Harvard Square.

Barry’s Corner is a sort of reverse-commute shuttle, running from Harvard Square to the Continuum in Allston, a modern complex from which most of the route’s ridership comes. I hopped on the bus along JFK Street, but after we headed past a bunch of businesses and a park, the bus had to lay over at the next stop. The minibus was pretty nice, with big poofy seats and a semi-jiggly wheelchair lift. Also, the radio was playing NPR, which is the most Harvard thing ever.

Wow, it’s rare to see a minibus this crowded!

After our layover, we made a hard turn onto Brattle Street, running through the heart of Harvard Square. There were many brick buildings housing businesses all around, and we also passed that modern Harvard Station entrance that leads into the bus tunnel. The street became Eliot Street and we went by a VERY crowded bus stop for the 66 and 86.

Travelling down Eliot Street, with a 66 in the background. Thanks, rear window!

The street curved around past some more businesses and Harvard buildings, then we turned onto JFK Street again. After a bunch of Harvard buildings, we traversed the intersection with Memorial Drive and crossed the Charles River. We went over Soldier’s Field Road on the other side, now travelling down North Harvard Street.

Going over the river.

We zoomed past a bunch more Harvard buildings, including the university’s gigantic stadium. After passing a few more sports fields, we turned onto a side street that led into a parking lot. We looped around and arrived at our terminus, the Continuum. As the other passengers and I got off, some workers from the building came outside onto the bus to get back to Harvard Square.

The bus at the Continuum.

Harvard Shuttle Route: Barry’s Corner (Continuum – Kennedy School – Harvard Square)

Ridership: Ridership seems to be strongest going toward the Continuum in the morning and away from it in the evening. Since I got on the bus before the “terminus”, there were five other commuters on board, but they got off in Harvard Square. The bus seems to run mostly empty in the non-peak direction.

Pros: Barry’s Corner is a route that serves its purpose, taking people from the Continuum up to Harvard Square. Its schedule is pretty good as well, running every 20 minutes during the morning and evening rushes.

Cons: I just think this route is a waste of resources. Wouldn’t it be better to put this extra bus on the Allston Campus Express during these rush periods to increase frequency on that route? It would allow for better balance of ridership, and you could even have the route deviate to serve the Continuum during those times so no service is lost.

Nearby and Noteworthy: There are a few businesses near the Continuum, but even a ride on this route is pretty cool. It’s just weird to parade through Harvard Square in a minibus!

Final Verdict: 6/10
For what it’s worth, Barry’s Corner definitely achieves its intended purpose: to serve the workers at the Continuum. But it could get more ridership while still achieving the same purpose if the bus was just put onto the Allston Campus Express. I mean, personally, I think that route doesn’t run often enough anyway, so I’d love to see more service on it.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

This! This is what the Quad Express should be! The Quad Yard Express runs from the Quad to Harvard Yard and back! Oh, how I love it! Too bad it only runs after 5 PM…

Time for a long story…

Okay, so we were originally waiting at the Continuum in Allston for the Barry’s Corner route to show up. The bus was already incredibly late, and when it pulled into the Continuum parking lot, we saw that it was the Blue Bird, Harvard’s oldest bus. And…the driver wouldn’t let us on. Because the AC wasn’t working. We could even see his breath! He explained that another bus would come to pick us up.

The replacement!

The next bus that pulled in was thankfully a newer one, so it was working fine (although a ride on the Blue Bird would’ve been really fun – that thing was noisy). As it turned out, this was the bus that would be doing the trip on the Quad Yard Express we were gonna get after Barry’s Corner! But we ended up taking a somewhat different route from the normal Barry’s Corner run, so just consider this an “extended” Quad Yard Express.

Oh wow, I love these poofy seats!

So we pulled out of the Continuum and headed up North Harvard Street. We sped past Harvard Stadium and a few other university buildings, then crossed over the Charles River. After that crossing, we split off from the Barry’s Corner route by turning onto Memorial Drive, on a section that no normal Harvard route serves.

Wow, it’s rather dark…

This took us past a bunch of Harvard dorms, which continued as we turned onto the narrow Plympton Street. It led up to Harvard Yard, where we turned onto Mass Ave and stopped outside of Holyoke Gate. This is where the actual Quad Yard Express route begins. It’s also where we started to get a bunch of people.

Some businesses opposite Holyoke Gate.

Now with about a full-seated load, we curved around the yard, with a bunch of Harvard Square businesses lining the street. We turned up and around the Harvard Bus Tunnel portal, making our way onto Garden Street. This led us past Cambridge Common and more Harvard buildings, then we saw a hotel and a few apartments.

Looking down a dark side street.

It became mostly houses for just a bit, but then we got more Harvard buildings along the street. Next, we turned onto Linnaean Street, and then into the Quad busway. This took us to the last stop, where everyone on the bus got off, and Nathan, Sam, and I started to make our way toward Mass Ave to catch a 77.

The bus taking a quick layover.

Harvard Shuttle Route: Quad Yard Express (Lamont – Harvard Square)

Ridership: Ridership is good in both directions, but especially outbound – heading towards the Quad, this route can get packed. I wonder if this shows that there’s an increased amount of demand for a bus from Harvard Yard to the Quad at all times…

Pros: I’m just gonna say it, I think this route is way superior to the normal Quad Express. It gets a bunch of people, and it actually serves the yard, where it seems like more people would be coming from.

Cons: Firstly, the frequency on the route could probably be improved. Every 20-25 minutes? Come on, a lot of people use this! Stick a second bus on there. More importantly, though, I think this bus should run all day. Honestly, just cut the Quad Express and run this route instead, with service to the yard. Plus, if they put a stop at Fogg Museum, it would be an easy walk for people trying to get to Memorial Hall.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Andy Cox left a comment on my Quad Express review with very detailed information on its attractions:
“-An observatory (I believe owned and operated by Harvard, but they give tours), though that’s easier accessed via 72/74/75/78 on Concord Ave.
-A firehouse with one of the smallest parks in Boston (literally like two square feet, it’s got a bench and a flagpole and there’s no room for anything else).
-And Senator Elizabeth Warren lives somewhere over there, though I don’t know where exactly.”

Man, it’s easy to forget how big Harvard University is. I mean, they have a whole bunch of other buildings down in Allston that need to be connected to the rest of the school! And this bus is the one to do it – the Allston Campus Express is a big loop from Harvard Square and Memorial Hall down to the buildings in Allston. Let’s take a look!

Well, that’s fitting for the holiday season, I guess!

Nathan, Sam, and I got on at the Memorial Hall busway, just north of Harvard Yard. Of course, the bus getting to the Yard itself was a bit of an ordeal thanks to one-way streets. After a complicated path involving Quincy Street, Cambridge Street, Felton Street, Broadway, and Quincy Street again, we were running alongside the eastern end of Harvard Yard.

Rounding the corner onto Quincy Street.

After a stop at the Lamont Library, we made our way down the narrow, twisting Bow Street, with apartments and businesses on either side. We passed a church and continued down DeWolfe Street, which was lined with apartments and dorms, then we turned onto…Memorial Drive? Wow, okay, that’s interesting.

Some apartments on DeWolfe Street.

We got a lovely view of the Charles River on one side, while there were more apartments and Harvard buildings on the other. Next, we turned onto Western Ave, crossing the river. On the other side, there were university buildings galore, and they were all very modern – also, I forgot to mention the gigantic construction site to the south.

What a pretty sky!

The Harvard Business School and Innovation Labs were major attractions, before we reached some retail at the intersection with North Harvard Street. We turned onto North Harvard, and we got off just after Harvard Stadium to catch the Barry’s Corner route. That didn’t go to plan, but we’ll save that for another post. From where we got off, the Allston Campus Express continues up North Harvard Street through Harvard Square, then runs up via the law school back to Memorial Hall.

The bus heading back to Harvard.

Harvard Shuttle Route: Allston Campus Express (Allston Campus – Harvard Square – Memorial Hall)

Ridership: This route gets a lot of ridership from people going to Allston, since it’s far from the main campus. After all, Harvard has a surprising amount of real estate in the area this route serves.

Pros: This route’s loop formation is probably the most efficient it can be, not to mention the fact that Harvard patched up some annoying deviations in Allston back in March – now it’s nice and straight. On weekdays, the route runs every 15 minutes with two buses, which seems to cover the ridership pretty well.

Cons: Well, what about weekend service? After all, neither of Harvard’s weekend routes cover Allston, and based on the ridership of MBTA buses like the 66 or the 70, you would think a shuttle down there would get a lot of people! So, let’s see…it’s every half hour, that seems legit. Wait…but only from 5:45 PM to 7:45 PM? WHAT? How does that make any sense at all? Aside from a few very early morning trips on the Quad Stadium route, that’s the only weekend service Allston gets!

Nearby and Noteworthy: Every time I go into Allston, I’m always fascinated by Swissbäkers, a very modern-looking European café. I should go there sometime…

Final Verdict: 6/10
Okay, on weekdays, this route is fine…although that being said, I really don’t think it needs to make the Law School deviation north of Harvard – if the route just looped around the yard, it could save time and improve frequency. Leave the Law School to the Mather Express, I say! And don’t even get me started on the barebones weekend service. When it comes to buses, I believe in “full service or no service”. What’s the point of running the Allston Campus Express for a span of two hours in the evening only? Who’s gonna be using that? No, I believe it should run every half hour all day on weekends – I’m sure it would get people! Okay, despite its flaws, this is still a solid route, but it has some big issues…

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Wow, look, guys, I’m at Harvard University! Okay, so I’m not actually in the university, but I did get to ride some of their shuttles around! That’s almost as good as getting accepted, right?

Wow, who knew the Harvard shuttle had such great facilities?

The Harvard shuttle system is a complicated beast, but on a typical weekday it has three primary routes. We’ll be covering all three of them, and eventually all of their routes – hey, why not, they’re free! So today, we’re looking at the Mather Express, which makes sort of a figure-8 loop around the main portion of Harvard University.

The bus coming down Cowperthwaite Street.

The route starts to the south of Harvard Square, near the Charles River, on Cowperthwaite Street. This stop serves – of course – Mather House, as well as Dunster House. It’s a narrow street, but it has a nice glass shelter for Harvard buses. The vehicle itself was rather nice inside, and it was just strange to be parading around Cambridge in a non-MBTA bus!

How quant!

We reached the end of Cowperthwaite Street (that’s fun to say, isn’t it?) and turned onto Banks Street, a narrow side street lined with dense houses. At the end of that, we turned onto Mount Auburn Street, then made a sharp swerve around onto Mass Ave. As we came closer to Harvard Square, the street was lined with businesses and apartments.

Going past the main part of Harvard Square.

We came up alongside Harvard Yard, making a major stop at Holyoke Gate. Next, we made our way around the yard, passing the Red Line station and then curving around the portal for the bus tunnel. Now we were heading up Mass Ave, but first we made a stop for the Harvard Law School.

Some apartments on Mass Ave.

Continuing up Mass Ave for one more block, we turned onto Everett Street. There were Harvard buildings on one side and apartments on the other; we also had a run-in with a Leslie University dorm! Next, we turned onto Oxford Street, with Harvard buildings on both sides – the Harvard Natural History museum was to the left.

The museum!

Oxford Street curved to the left to become Kirkland Street, and outside of the beautiful Sanders Theater, we had another major stop. In fact, this stop (Memorial Hall) was major enough to earn itself a proper busway! For some reason, though, our bus decided not to serve it, so the person waiting had to walk out to the street and get on. That’s rather annoying…

Rounding the corner on Felton Street.

We turned onto Quincy Street, then Cambridge Street. Due to one-ways, we had to make a bit of a jog in the route, next running on Felton Street (past the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School), and finally Broadway. This allowed us to return to Quincy Street and continue alongside the yard again. This brought us to Lamont Library, which is where my friend Nathan and I got off; from here, the route makes the short trip back to Cowperthwaite Street to start its journey again.

The bus heading back to its starting point.

Harvard Shuttle Route: Mather Express (Memorial Hall via Harvard Square)

Ridership: My trip was fairly light, with less than 10 riders in total, and it has to be said that this is the least-used route of the three primary shuttles. However, it still serves a purpose, as the residents of Mather and Dunster Houses use the route to get to Harvard Yard or Memorial Hall.

Pros: This is a pretty short route, meaning it can operate service every 10 minutes with only two buses! It does a good job of covering the “inner” section of Harvard University, and it gets a decent smattering of ridership.

Cons: Not much with the route itself, but service gets a lot more complicated after 4 PM. After 4, the Mather Express gets replaced by the River House A…which then gets replaced by the River House B…and that gets replaced by the River House C. I have no idea why there are three River House routes that more or less serve the same things, but that rant is for another review.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Well, in terms of the route’s unique sections, you’ve basically got Mather/Dunster Houses and that’s it. However, the northern part of the route does run by the Harvard Natural History Museum, although the two other main shuttles serve that, too.

Final Verdict: 9/10
Of all the Harvard shuttles, this one makes the most logical sense. Its route is fairly straightforward, its schedule is mostly consistent (aside from a few random gaps, presumably for driver switches), and its ridership is fine and evenly spread out. Sure, once the clock strikes 4 PM, everything goes crazy with the River House routes, but on its own, the Mather Express is a great little route.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates