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: 1 (Westside)
It's another really short route that's marginally more useful than the 9, I guess. Not much else to say, let's look at the 1! The bus at its berth. We turned west out of the Bloom Terminal, skipping downtown Taunton entirely. As we merged onto Kilmer Ave, it was...
GATRA: 9 (Weir/Route 138)
Oh thank God, it's a normal bus route. You don't have to call in to ride it. It uses a proper bus. The 9 is just a normal short, stupid, pointless bus route. HALLELUJAH! We headed out onto Oak Street from the Bloom Terminal, but we soon turned onto Frederick R. Martin...
GATRA: Middleborough-Taunton Connection
I...I'm speechless. I really don't know what to say. GATRA...out-GATRAed itself. I didn't think it was possible, and yet this route...defies explanation. Get ready for a crazy ride... Okay, at first glance, this doesn't look so bad. It connects Middleborough to...
GATRA: Downtown Middleborough Shuttle
I think we've done it: we've hit peak GATRA. This route, the Downtown Middleborough Shuttle, seems to do absolutely everything wrong. For example, it only serves Middleborough Station four times per day: 11:05, 12:50, 3:05, and 4:45. They time with trains, but...
Bridgewater
The original Bridgewater station was closer to downtown, but I actually like the Old Colony placement more! Yes, you heard me: the Old Colony station is in a better location than the original. That's because this stop now serves Bridgewater State University, and it's...
BAT: BSU Service (Bridgewater State University)
Since BAT labels its free student-run Bridgewater State University shuttle service as one route, I guess I'll have to review its lines in one post! Although to show how much BAT itself cares about the service, that link on the BAT website has outdated information -...
Wickford Junction
The MBTA has made many mistakes over the years. Wickford Junction is one of them. We begin with the busway. Throughout this review, we'll be talking about the various ways Rhode Island has tried to make this waste of a station into something that comes even...
203 (Narragansett Flex)
So...why is there a Flex service down here, exactly? Within the 203's Flex Zone, we have two fixed routes that run daily service and cover most of the zone. Plus, RIPTA has extensive paratransit service throughout the zone that uses the same reservation system. So...
RIPTA: 65x (Wakefield Express Park and Ride)
Welcome back to the RIPTA! We're heading down to southern Rhode Island on the rush hour-only 65x today. Well, this is an odd picture... The bus does the Downcity Loop like the other expresses, but Sam and I got on at its last stop, Kennedy Plaza (or Exchange Terrace,...
Wellesley Square
For its busiest stop and its downtown, you would think Wellesley would ensure that Wellesley Square is as nice of a station as possible. A valid thought, but a wrong one... One of the station's parking lots. For a downtown station, Wellesley Square's 224...
Wellesley Hills
Wellesley Farms didn't score particularly highly with me. Will the next station, Wellesley Hills, be an improvement? Let's find out. The station...from above. There are two ways to get into this station. The first one is a staircase from Cliff Road, and it does its...
Wellesley Farms
Well, that station name is misleading. I don't see any farms, just a ton of huge houses! Coming down Croton Street. There are a few entrances to the Wellesley Farms inbound platform. One of them is a staircase from Glen Road - pretty standard. You could also use the...
Islington
This is Endicott. It's just Endicott. Cool, can I end the review now? Okay, okay, fine, we'll look at Islington. The entrance. Okay, one thing I'll say about this stop is that it has a really unassuming entrance from Carroll Ave, and that's kinda cool. It feels like...
Norwood Depot
Apparently two minutes of train time makes a big difference. Contrary to its southern neighbor, Norwood Depot is actually quite pleasant! Approaching the station. This station is in a much nicer neighborhood than Norwood Central, with some pleasant TOD apartments...
Norwood Central
Oh, nice, so Norwood Central is in a downtown or something? That's awesome! Maybe it'll have a Needham Center-type feel where the station is literally integrated in the town center. Or maybe it'll be in the middle of a wasteland of parking lots and industrial...