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
15 (Kane Square or Fields Corner Station – Ruggles Station via Uphams Corner)
I have to admit, before riding the 15, I couldn't understand how it could be so busy. On the map, it looks like a fairly short route that has no unique portions to itself. Evidently, though, it goes through some pretty transit-starved neighborhoods, and I think its...
22 (Ashmont Station – Ruggles Station via Talbot Ave and Jackson Square)
Okay, this driver was crazy. This was by far the most nerve-wracking bus ride I've ever taken. Now, maybe he was a really good driver and had an excuse to do all the reckless things he did, but it was still pretty scary. Of course, there's also a route to talk about,...
66 (Harvard Square – Dudley Station via Allston and Brookline Village)
As if Holyoke Gate wasn't confusing enough, the 66 had to go ahead and stick "Dawes Island" in there. I mean, come on! Let's just put the terminal at Johnston Gate where all four above-ground Harvard buses go and be done with it! ...Although...
Random Photos: Typo at Central
When I saw this, I actually giggled with delight. The MBTA has a typo on the 83 route sign in Central Square! It's spelled Rindge, not Ringe!
Random Photos: New Orange Line Maps!
Looks like they've finally updated the Orange Line strip maps inside the trains to include Assembly. It really doesn't look that different...
Fenway
No, this is not the closest station to Fenway Park. Why does everyone think that? Oh, is it the really misleading name? Yeah, that's probably it. The station is actually named after a road called the Fenway. But even the station tries to tell you it's the closest one...
Service Change: Lexington’s Lexpress – 3 (Depot Square – South Lexington via Marrett Road, Spring Street, & Hayden Ave)
When I found out I wouldn't be able to get driven to piano lessons, I had to find a way to get there via public transit. I ended up with the following three options: This weird Alewife shuttle thing to a housing development called Windsor Village, meant for commuters....
Charles/MGH
I get that the Longfellow Bridge needs to be fixed, but did they have to put that stupid fence up? It's ruining arguably the best view on the entire MBTA system! I'm talking, of course, about the above-ground section of the Red Line leading to Charles/MGH. This...
Chinatown
Having a monthly pass is the best. Sure, you could walk from Chinatown to the Aquarium, about 15 minutes, but that requires energy. Why not take the Orange Line two stops to State, then the Blue Line one stop to Aquarium? I already paid for the month, so let's do it!...
World Trade Center
Courthouse was a hidden gem of sorts. The station was absolutely beautiful, yet it had the second-worst ridership on the entire system. (I can now say that it's graduated to third-worst! Hooray!) World Trade Center is pretty much in the same boat. It's really...
Salem (Before and After)
Man, this station used to be a dump. It had a low-level platform, a massive parking lot, and was just really ugly. Now, it has a high level platform, a massive parking garage, and some nice greenery to make the station look better. Throughout this post, I'll be doing...
455 (Salem Depot – Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn)
The 455 used to go all the way down to Haymarket, but during the bus massacre of July 2012 it was cut back to Wonderland. Trips to Wonderland had previously been weekend service, but now it goes there full time. That's not to say that the cutbacks made the schedule...
451 (North Beverly – Salem Depot via Cabot Street or Tozer Road)
This route is really isolated: it's the northernmost MBTA bus route; it only runs eight times a day; it's one of the most expensive buses for the MBTA to run; it was on the chopping block in 2012; and it goes down a road on which not even Google Street View has...
450/450W (Salem Depot – Haymarket or Wonderland Station via Highland Ave)
A long time ago, on one of my very first for-fun bus trips, my father and I took the 459 up to Salem. I mentioned in that post how we got stuck up there, and a 459 back to Boston never showed up. At one point, there was a 450 that came, but for some reason I...
Random Photos: Portal of Power, Part 2
Looking at a Silver Line bus leaving the portal. Photo credit to my friend Chloé Gilligan.