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
Introducing TransportationCamp Greater Attleboro-Taunton!
I was at TransportationCamp Philly last week, and it was a blast. If you haven't been to one of these "unconferences" before, I strongly recommend it - it's a great way to meet other people interested in transportation and talk about some fascinating things. Here's...
LRTA: 1 (Christian Hill)
Alright, we're actually gonna go somewhere in a circulator this time. Also, you'd better have extra space in your wallets (or on your CharlieCards), because the 1 leaves Lowell, requiring the "suburban" fare. Got it? Alright, let's go. Alas, it's "NOT IN SERVICE"...
Blue Hill Ave (Video Review)
Yes, I did travel over 250 miles to see a Fairmount Line station. https://youtu.be/165xPFHu31w
LRTA: 6 (Broadway/UMass Lowell)
The LRTA sure likes its circulators. I've previously covered the 18, which is an example of how to do a circulator right - it got a well-deserved 8/10. But they also operate two other circulators within Lowell, and they don't fare quite as well as the 18 does. Today...
Guide to the MBTA’s Spring 2019 Service Changes
The reason I started these guides was because the MBTA stopped listing its schedule changes on its website. Well, I'm happy to say that they're back to doing it! But...a lot of its descriptions are still really vague. And I really enjoy writing these. And it seems...
Blue Hill Avenue
The day after I became the first passenger to ride SEPTA's new bus route, the MBTA just had to open a new station! And yes, I did go to Boston to review it. Not just any station, too - a Fairmount Line station. Where all of the stations are notoriously the same thing....
LRTA: 7 (Pawtucketville/UMass Lowell North)
Welcome back to the LRTA! I gotta say, we've got a pretty good route here with the 7. Could this be the best route on the system? Maybe! Wow...leafy! We began, like all LRTA routes (well, except that which must not be named), at the Kennedy Center. From there, we...
VIDEO: Travel the Whole Charles River (using only transit)
Oh, also walking. Did I mention walking? There's a lot of walking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18U4MKX0jpY
SRTA: NB 5 (Rivet Street)
We are finally done with this system! I have been continuously reviewing SRTA routes since...geez, since August???? Okay, I did not realize it's been that long. Basically, ever since I transitioned to Miles in Transit, every "MBTA" bus review has just been the darn...
Guide to the MBTA’s Better Bus Project Proposals
Totally out of nowhere, the MBTA has released its proposals for the bus network in the first phase of the Better Bus Project. These changes are meant to be easy targets that are cost-neutral, with the bigger fixes coming later down the line in Phase 2. Each route gets...
SRTA: NB 6 (Shawmut/Rockdale)
At this point, I had been riding the SRTA more or less continuously for 9 hours, so as you can imagine, I was exhausted. Ergo, I wasn't happy when for the second-to-last route, the SRTA decided to throw me this: So that's what we're up against. The NB 6. Ugh. Bad...
Guide to the RTAs’ Winter 2019 Service Changes
This went over really well when I did it for the MBTA, so let's try it for the RTAs! Each system changes its schedules at different times, so I'm not sure how often I'll do these round-up posts, but this one will cover any changes that are happening soon or have...
The Blog’s Sixth Anniversary!
A lot has happened in 2018. I've ridden the first trip of a new commuter rail line, conquered the bus from hell, and even changed domains and started writing about Philadelphia for some reason! As it stands, the vast majority of my viewership is still from...
SRTA: NB 3 (Dartmouth Street)
We're three routes away from finishing this darn system! Fittingly, our third-to-last review will be the 3, a route that calls itself "Dartmouth Street" but takes a pretty significant deviation away from it when it gets into New Bedford. "Big Value Plaza"! Now, I'm...
SRTA: NB 8 (Mount Pleasant)
The NB 8 is the same bus as the North End Shuttle, with every run on this route turning into a loop on that one before coming back. I really wish they made it more obvious that they use the same bus, but marketing them as two different routes does have one advantage:...