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
PVTA: R10 (Westfield/Westfield State University/West Springfield/via Route 20)
Thank goodness for my B23 being 20 minutes early! I was prepared to wait a really long time for the next R10, but thanks to a ridiculously early bus, I had time to both review the Olver Transit Pavilion and catch the previous R10! This is a route that runs every...
195 (Lemuel Shattuck Hospital – Tremont and Park Streets)
When I finished the 171, I was sure I was done. That was it. All the buses complete. Then I saw the anonymous comment (copied verbatim): "You stll need the 195 Shattuck Shelter-Park St. route." "No, I don't!" I thought. "It's not on the website, so it's not in my...
171 (Dudley Station – Logan Airport via Andrew Station)
How do I introduce the MBTA bus route that will be this blog's last? I still find it hard to believe that the thing I dedicated my life to for over four and a half years is...over. The last T bus route. This is it. We've been through a lot, everyone, but I think the...
GUEST POST: 72 (Huron Ave – Broadway @ Felton Street)
My girlfriend Zofia has some very strong opinions about the 72 school trip to Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School... Wanna have a stress free ride to school? Don’t count on the school trip 72 to do that for you. Yes, most days it can get you to school on time but...
PVTA: Olver Transit Pavilion
Okay, what is it with naming unnecessarily fancy transit centers after John Olver? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he was a great congressman, but geez! First there was the FRTA's gigantic John Olver Transportation Center, and now we've got the PVTA's smaller (but no...
MBTA Bus Roadeo 2017!
Once again, I got the opportunity to attend the MBTA Bus Roadeo! It was basically the same thing as last year's Roadeo, but of course that means I had a blast! Like last year, I was a runner, bringing score sheets up to the scorers, and it was great to be able to help...
448/449 (Marblehead – Downtown Crossing via Paradise Road or Humphrey Street, Lynnway, and Airport)
My very first review was of the 459. My second-to-last MBTA review will be of its counterparts, the 448 and 449. The funny thing is that I took the 449 over a year ago, but I just didn't want to review it until I had the 448 done and I could do both in one post!...
PVTA: B23 (Holyoke/Westfield via Holyoke Community College)
The trip I took on this route would now be impossible! Yes, I took the B23 on a Saturday, and the PVTA has now eliminated Saturday service for it. I feel so accomplished! The bus just kinda sat in the middle of the street like this for a while... We went down Maple...
PVTA: R24 (Paper City Express)
I think the R24 can be summed up by what a passenger said to the driver as he got off the bus: "This took way too long! I'm never taking this bus ever again! Goodbye!" Couldn't have said it better myself. The bus coming towards the transportation center. We started...
Holyoke (Amtrak)
Holyoke was a newer addition to the newly-rerouted Vermonter, and it shows. This thing was designed with people in mind, and unlike Greenfield and Northampton, it actually has a full high level platform! Would you like to see more? If not, then you probably should,...
PVTA: Holyoke Transportation Center
Is it possible for a transit center built in 2010 to look like it came from the 1970s? The Holyoke Transportation Center tries to answer this question, and clearly, the answer is a resounding "Yes." *Ahem.* Case in point... Yeah...this is it. Gotta love that...floor...
GUEST POST: Service Change: Big Blue Bus: 1 (Santa Monica Blvd and Main Street)
Sam recently took a trip to LA, and he'll have several guest posts coming soon about the bus system in Santa Monica, Big Blue Bus. Here's the first in a series. The Big Blue Bus Route 1 is very similar to the MBTA's 1, in the way that it's long, frequent, relatively...
PVTA: R41 (Northampton/Easthampton/Holyoke Community College/Holyoke Mall)
Wow, this route is scenic! The name of it doesn't sound all that impressive, but the R41 offers some awesome views from mountain peaks as it winds its way from Northampton to Easthampton to western Holyoke. Let's see how my awful pictures ruined those views... The bus...
PVTA: TT (Tiger Trolley (Holyoke Transportation Center to South Hadley Commons))
On the day this post comes out, August 27th, 2017, the Tiger Trolley is being eliminated. Good freaking riddance. The bus at the Holyoke Transportation Center. We left the Holyoke Transportation Center and made our way up Maple Street, then we turned onto Lyman...
PVTA: X98 (Crosstown Northampton)
I let out a groan when this thing showed up and it was a stupid minibus. I mean, with some routes you expect it. The "Tiger Trolley"? Yeah, that's a minibus. The "Palmer Village Shuttle"? Gotta be a minibus. But the X98...gosh, I mean, that sounded like a legitimate...