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
RIPTA: 87 (Fairmount/Walnut Hill)
"Fairmount/Walnut Hill"? What the heck is that supposed to mean? No, we need to refer to the 87 like it really is: "Loopy Woonsocket Circulator." The other bus on the 87 was using a trolley. We just got the boring ol' regular bus. The 87 essentially runs in a loop on...
RIPTA: 54 (Lincoln/Woonsocket)
This is a big one! We're going from Providence to Woonsocket using the only public transit connection between those two cities. The 54 also runs mostly express, which is interesting, but I sure ain't complaining! Woahhhhh, up close and personal... The route...
RIPTA: 40 (Butler/Elmgrove)
From the MVRTA 40 to the RIPTA 40! These routes are very, very different. I mean, we're going from inner-city Lawrence to the Providence East Side. You can't get much more different than that. The bus boarding at Kennedy Plaza. We of course began at Kennedy Plaza, and...
MVRTA: 40 (Methuen Square)
The 40 runs in a straight line up Broadway to Methuen Square and beyond. Sounds awesome. Oh wait, no one told me about the deviations... The 40 gets to board in the sunlight! We went west down Essex Street, going by lots of retail, which continued as we turned onto...
MVRTA: 39B (North Andover Mall/Phillips Street)
How does the 39B differ from the 39A? In a lot of ways, actually! Like, to the point where I'm wondering how you can even justify naming them like that... Buses everywhere! From Buckley, we made our way onto Common Street, which ran alongside Campagnone Common before...
MVRTA: 39A (Colonial Heights/North Andover Mall)
Okay, time for a nice direct route to the North Andover Mall! Oh wait, I forgot the MVRTA is incapable of running direct routes. Okay, well, the 39A is still their straightest line to the mall... Boarding at Buckley. We went straight down Amesbury Street from the...
MVRTA: 37 (Beacon Street)
Ah, it's the Pac-Man route! Seriously. Look at it. So yes, this is the 37, a wild snaking mess running aimlessly through southern Lawrence and Andover. It serves two Marriotts. Two! At least some light is shining in here. We went down Essex Street from Buckley,...
GATRA: 16 (Seekonk/Attleboro) – A.K.A. THE BUS FROM HELL
Usually I like to do my reviews in chronological order, but I feel compelled to write this one as soon as possible because this bus route is hell spawn and I'm worried it'll do something awful to me if I don't kill it ASAP. Ahem...the GATRA 16, everyone. Time for some...
MVRTA: 36 (Holy Family Hospital/Lawrence Street)
Time for some loopity-loop-loop-loops on the MVRTA 36! Yeah, this one is rather crazy...as are most bus routes in Lawrence, it would seem. Oh, Buckley...good to be back. We headed east from Buckley on Common Street, coming along next to Campagnone Common. We turned...
GATRA: 14 (Attleboro/North Attleboro/Plainville)
So..."Man-Mar Drive" in Plainville. Scenery: a bunch of sketchy-looking businesses inside dated shopping plaza buildings with big parking lots out front. Facilities: a faded old "GATRA Bus Stop" sign bolted to a telephone pole. Morale: low, because the 14 is...
GATRA: Franklin Area Bus
Ahhh, it's good to be back on a system I know and love! Yeah, you know, I always miss GATRA whenever I'm away from it for a while. It's so charming in its awfulness, and every GATRA route seems to be full of surprises. While the FAB wasn't as crazy as the...you...
Join us on a Race to Chelsea!
Do you want to be in a Miles on the MBTA video? Do you want to see if the SL3 is actually the fastest way to Chelsea? Do you want to meet me and a bunch of other fans of the blog as we race there and back? We're going to be staging a race using five different...
MART: Athol/Orange Link
Yes! We're finally leaving Athol! We're on our way home! Let's just wait at the Athol ITC and get the lovely Athol/Orange Link, and...oh God, what is that... TRUCK MINIBUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just gonna come out and say it: this was the...
MART: Athol/Orange Shuttle 1/2 (Counterclockwise/Clockwise)
Man, this route is out there! It officially gets to a point where it's closer to the New York border than it is to Boston. Interestingly, this far-out land has had a bus route for a while; this deviation-filled loopy-loop used to be operated by a company called...
MART: Athol ITC
Oh no, ATHOL has an "intermodal transit center" too? This has to be even worse than the Gardner one, right? Well, right off the bat, I'll say this: the Athol ITC is in an old train station, so it's more "intermodal" than Gardner's transit center is! Plus, the...