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: 40 (Butler/Elmgrove)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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,...

MVRTA: 36 (Holy Family Hospital/Lawrence Street)

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)

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

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!

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

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 ITC

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...

MART: Gardner Route 1/2 (Counterclockwise/Clockwise)

MART: Gardner Route 1/2 (Counterclockwise/Clockwise)

Ohhh...we get to go back to...Gardner! And ride a really long, deviation-filled bus route around the whole...city. My...favorite......place.......... YAY! GARDNER!!!! The bus was very nice, at least. It was that rear door-less Gillig that we had gotten before on the...

MART: Devens Regional Shuttle

MART: Devens Regional Shuttle

The Devens Regional Shuttle recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and MART threw a lovely party for it at one of its stops, with free swag to boot! I didn't attend the party, and I have no idea how many people attended it, but my guess is not too many. Why? I...