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: 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...
PVTA: 46 (South Deerfield/Whately Park & Ride/UMass)
Rush hour-only bus time! Oh...except there's one midday trip. And one late morning trip. Alright, so I guess the 46 is 66% rush hour-only... The bus zooming down the street. Sam and I got on at the GRC, the northernmost stop of the UMass triad of stops. From there, we...
PVTA: B48 (Northampton/Holyoke Transit Center)
The B48 is amazing and wonderful and I love it to bits! Final Verdict: 10/10. Alright, review over, have fun! No...I guess there's more to talk about than just that... The bus coming into the terminal. Leaving the Holyoke Transportation Center, we headed down...
PVTA: P21 (Holyoke/Springfield via Chicopee)
Ahhhh, the P21 is like the total opposite of the P20, and from a riding perspective, that makes it way better of a trip. No malls, no deviations, just a nice straight route from Holyoke to Springfield. Yeah, it still takes a while, and it's less frequent, but...
PVTA: P20 (Holyoke/Springfield via Riverdale Street)
Why does the most frequent route from Springfield to Holyoke also have to be the looooonnnngggeeeesssstttt? The P20 is a miserable splurge of shopping malls and housing developments connecting the two biggest hubs of the PVTA system. Okay, it's not a...