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
Mansfield
Mansfield is quite possibly the most exhilarating station on the Commuter Rail. You see, this is one of two places in the entire country (the other being Kingston, RI) where the Acela is allowed to go its top speed of 150 MPH. Let me tell you, it's an amazing...
431 (Neptune Towers – Central Square, Lynn via Summer Street)
Well, I've had it with this stupid bus. I've tried to take the 431 four times, and every time the driver has either decided not to do the route, or just not let me on for whatever reason. When my friend Sam and I tried to do the route recently, it was the former,...
GATRA: Wheaton T Shuttle/Route 140
As the name suggests, GATRA's 140 route is a bus meant for students at Wheaton College. I checked Wheaton's website for more information: "The GATRA route 140 schedule is a campus favorite." Barring the strange inclusion of "schedule" in that sentence, the website...
GATRA: 15 (Oak Hill)
The 15 is the shortest GATRA route in Attleboro, and also the one with the least ridership, not to mention an inconsistent schedule. What is this strange route? Does it get any passengers? Let's find out. The bus at the Attleboro Transit Center. From Attleboro,...
Restructuring GATRA’s Saturday Service
It's still unclear to me whether the 11 deserves to exist or not. Still, just for kicks, I decided to see what would happen if it didn't. Today we're going to look at a GATRA Saturday schedule where the 12 and 24 completely replace the 11 along the Route 1 corridor....
GATRA: 11 (South Attleboro Connector)
There are a lot of places where crosstown routes make sense. In Boston, for example, the 66 takes a very radial route around the city, but it still gets extremely busy because it runs through an urban area. People want to get between places without having to go...
GATRA: 12 (Attleboro/North Attleboro)
Here's an alternate way of getting from the Emerald Square Mall to Attleboro. The 12 is theoretically more direct than the 10, but it suffers from "deviation syndrome" up near Emerald Square, and it ends up taking forever just like the 10. Oh well...what GATRA route...
GATRA: 10 (Attleboro/North Attleboro)
Okay, maybe this one won't be so bad. The numbered GATRA routes are typically more well-established and get more riders than some of their...other routes. What's more, the 10 is basically the premiere Attleboro route, so maybe it'll be good! Maybe it won't make a...
RIPTA: 51 (Charles Street)
Ahh, here we go! This was the route my friend Nathan and I used to get back from CCRI, and it definitely seems superior to the 73. The 51 is a straight shot, with the trunk route remaining almost entirely on Charles Street down to Providence. The bus coming from...
RIPTA: 73 (Fairlawn/CCRI)
The RIPTA doesn't seem to care at all about the 73. For one thing, it's a Pawtucket route, which means it instantly gets less priority. Also, its schedule (and ridership) is absolutely abysmal. And just look at the beauty of a vehicle they gave this thing: Oh my gosh,...
RIPTA: 1 (Eddy/Hope/Benefit)
The 1 is basically omnipresent wherever you go on the RIPTA. It serves the authority's two biggest transit hubs, as well as two Commuter Rail stations. A merger of three former RIPTA routes, the 1 runs through some incredibly varied neighborhoods, and can be very...
Transit Tales: A Rather Troublesome Commute
I was doing my daily commute to my summer job in Central Square. Unfortunately, as I got down to Alewife, I had just missed a train. "Oh well," I thought. The next one would still get me there on time. OR WOULD IT??? No, it would not. Things seemed fine at first,...
556 (Waltham Highlands – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner, Central Square, Waltham, and Newtonville)
It's a shame that my last I-90 express bus had to be so...I dunno, generic. The 556 isn't a particularly interesting route. I guess we'll, uh, take a look, then. Enjoy! The picture I took when I actually rode the route was so bad that I came back to Boston the...
Hersey
Well, I think this is officially my favorite Needham Line station. Yes, Hersey is by far the most isolated one, and the only one without a bus connection, but those only add to its tranquility. Oh, and the station is also in the middle of a golf course. We are most...
Highland
Ah, it's good to be back on the Needham Line! It's been too long since I've seen those tiny mini-highs with no benches. Well...okay, maybe not that part of it. But Needham Line stations are always very tranquil, and Highland is certainly no exception. The...