The blog that started it all! Check out reviews of every bus route and train station in Boston, as well as ongoing reviews of the regional bus systems in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Recent Posts from Miles on the MBTA
GATRA: Bellingham North Shuttle
Oh YES! THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF GATRA!!!!! And this is a side of our favorite RTA not seen quite as often on here: commuter routes with HORRIBLE ridership! Welcome to the Bellingham North Shuttle! Oh, of course it uses Dial-A-Ride vehicles. I suppose it's not a...
WRTA: 8 (Park Avenue Connector)
The WRTA loves to take one bus and use it to single-handedly run some sort of "bonus route" on the system. For a while this took the form of a downtown shuttle, whether it was the small free loop of the 80 or the larger un-free loop of the 40. Eventually realizing...
WRTA: 25 (Union Station Hub – Webster Square Plaza via Canterbury Street)
The 25 has really shifted around throughout the past few years - as far as I can remember, it's had three different termini since I started paying attention to the WRTA. The one commonality between the route's various permutations is its 0.8 mile unique section on...
BRTA: 21X (Pittsfield/Great Barrington)
Yes, this is the end of our BRTA adventures for now. I know there are two night routes I still have to do, but they're near-impossible unless I can find a place to stay out there, so for now, we're gonna be taking the 21X back out into the hinterlands to finish our...
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BRTA: 12/14 (Southeast Loop)
Unlike the rather rural 5, the BRTA has deemed that the 12/14, a loop serving the southeast area of Pittsfield, is worthy of bidirectional service! Wow, people, this is huge: you can go both ways around this loop. I'm sure we're dealing with a ridership powerhouse...
BRTA: 5 (Pittsfield/Lanesboro)
I was hoping that the whole Corona quarantine rendering me a housebound worm would at least spur me to write more (a "productive worm"), but it seems like it's instead encouraging me to mindlessly watch a bunch of YouTube videos (a "worm worm"). So, uh, bear with me...
Guide to the MBTA’s Spring 2020 Service Changes
Thanks for releasing your service changes during midterm season, MBTA! They put these out two Saturdays ago (they go into effect March 15th) and I'm only just getting to them now. And because we're not in Better Bus season anymore, I get the feeling this might be a...
BRTA: 15 (West Pittsfield/Lebanon Ave)
The 16 interlines straight into the 15, so I wasn't able to get a proper shot of the bus! Shoot. I had to get creative. We headed out from the ITC onto the highway-like Center Street, passing some suburban businesses before turning onto Housatonic Street, whose retail...
BRTA: 16 (Allendale Shopping Plaza/Crane Ave)
Yikes, Crane Ave is the main street on the 16, and it offers pretty much nothing transit-oriented aside from one apartment complex. That's the breaks when you're running a system as rural as the BRTA, I guess... Minibus time! The initial section on North Street was...
VIDEO: I Took Three Greyhounds and an OurBus to Nashville
With plenty of time for shenanigans along the way! (filmed before the Longest Bus Ride video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZZxHhzCmB0&feature=youtu.be
BRTA: 11 (Berkshire Community College)
Alright, the 11 is short and sweet, so let's just get into it. Boarding at the terminal. This route heads straight west from the ITC, meaning we didn't have to deal with downtown Pittsfield at all. We made our way straight onto College Way, which turned into the...
BRTA: 4 (Pittsfield/Dalton/Hinsdale)
Oh my gosh, what the heck were they thinking with this route and all its inbound-only deviations? "YOU get an inbound-only deviation, and YOU get an inbound-only deviation. EVERYBODY GETS INBOUND-ONLY DEVIATIONS!!!!!!!!" Needless to say, the outbound 4 trip to...
BRTA: 3 (Williamstown/North Adams)
Another North Adams-based shuttle, although this one is much straighter. Today we're heading to the northwesternmost point of Massachusetts on the 3! The minibus boarding at North Adams's colored shelter. From the Main Street bus stop in North Adams, we looped around...
VIDEO: The Longest Bus Ride in America
As promised, on the blog's seventh anniversary, here's the video for the longest bus ride in America. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--I9pg2ZTEc&feature=youtu.be