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
BAT: Rockland Flex (Flexible Route, Rockland to Brockton)
No, of course I didn't forget about the BAT's Rockland Flex service! It's a little minibus route that goes from Rockland to...I guess technically Brockton, but it's not the BAT Centre. Instead, the bus starts at Signature Healthcare... (also, for the record, I...
BAT: Brockton Route 5 (Brockton Hospital via Centre Street)
Alright, our final BAT route! It's another typical one, just running out to the eastern sections of the city and a little bit into Abington. Let's take a look at the 5. Getting on at the BAT Centre one last time. We went down Commercial Street, lined with weird...
GUEST POST: Framingham
Mike N. sent in an alternate take on Framingham Station. Thanks, Mike! I live in Framingham, and I’ve gone through Framingham station many times, for red sox games and other events. But, I’ve never reviewed it, but was recently inspired because of some changes that...
BAT: Brockton Route 4 (Westgate Mall via Pleasant)
Oh yes, here we are on the craziest route of the BAT (barring the 12). The 4 could honestly pass for an MBTA route based on its crowds! Here we go! I purposely got the 4 in the inbound direction so I would have to take it around its loop from Westgate. First, we...
BAT: Mini Maller Route 13 (Westgate Mall, Brockton)
Huh, apparently the Mini Maller doesn't use a minibus! It makes just as many deviations as a minibus would, but it does not in fact use one. Well, well! I boarded the bus at Market Basket, but we couldn't leave the mall until we served the other side of it, at Sears....
BAT: Brockton Route 4A (Westgate Mall via North Warren)
Who needs the 4 when you have the 4A, otherwise known as the less insane version of the 4? We'll get into how crazy the 4 is another time, but for now, here's its counterpart, the 4A. The bus at the BAT Centre. We went down Court Street, then turned onto North Main...
BAT: Brockton Route 3 (VA Hospital via Belmont)
It's so weird to go to hospitals just to get a bus. I felt really awkward just standing outside of the VA waiting for the 3! Needless to say, I was happy when it came. Hooray! We headed out of the hospital complex onto Belmont Street, which was a mix of houses and...
BAT: Brockton Route 9 (Pearl via West Elm and Torrey)
Welcome to the only numbered BAT route that runs weekdays only! Why is the 9 weekdays only? I honestly have no idea, since it seems to get pretty good ridership... The bus at the BAT Centre. We headed down Centre Street, going under the Commuter Rail tracks and...
BAT: Brockton Route 11 (Cary Hill and The Village)
Here's another route serving Brockton's northeast suburban residential neighborhoods. Like the 10, the 11 gets low ridership and a slightly more limited schedule, except the 11 is really weird and loopy! Let's take a look. Getting on at the BAT Centre. We looped...
BAT: Brockton Route 10 (Lisa and Howard via North Quincy and Court)
Did you know that there's a suburban section of Brockton? A part of Brockton that's just houses on quiet roads and that's it? Neither did I, but we'll see what it's like from the 10. The bus coming towards the Montello stop. The area immediately around Montello...
BAT: Brockton Route 1 (Montello Street via North Main Street)
It's interesting just how close this route comes to MBTA bus territory. The 1 ends only about a mile away from the southern terminus of the 238 and the 240! Does that mean the route itself is interesting? Nah. The bus entering the BAT Centre. We headed down Commercial...
BAT: Brockton Route 6 (Massasoit via Crescent Street)
Just as a disclaimer: no, I was not able to ride one of BAT's fancy new buses. And that's a real shame, because it'll make these reviews that much more boring. Lo and behold, the 6! The bus at the BAT Centre. From the Bat Centre, we headed down Commercial Street,...
RIPTA: 80 (Armistice Boulevard)
This one is sorta like the 76: it's a short route that covers the eastern part of Pawtucket. I liked the 76 because it served some dense neighborhoods and attractions that people would go to on a daily basis. Does the 80 do the same? Let's find out. The back of the...
RIPTA: 75 (Dexter/Lincoln Mall)
Most RIPTA Pawtucket routes are weird, and the 75 is no exception. Boasting an inconsistent schedule and random rush hour deviations that themselves don't make any sense, the 75 is a strange one. I boarded the bus at Stop & Shop on Mendon Road and took the route...
RIPTA: 71 (Broad Street/Pawtucket Ave)
Until recently, the 71 was considered a "key corridor route." How frequent would you expect a key corridor route to run on weekdays? Every 15 minutes? Every 20 minutes? It's an RTA, so we'll be conservative and say every 30 minutes. So, how often does the 71 run?...