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
Miles on the MBTA is Now on Twitter (and a Big Thanks to Universal Hub)!
I've never really wanted a Twitter account. The whole 140 character thing just irritates me, and I've never seen the need to get one. The only reason I got an account was that one day, I got a surprising amount of views on my blog, all of whom were looking at one...
The MBTA Needs to Update Its Online Map
I was looking at the Interactive Street Map version of the MBTA subway map on its website. It's essentially Google Maps with MBTA lines over it. You can click on each stop and it tells you bus connections, what Commuter Rail zone the station's in if served, gives you...
501 (EXPRESS BUS Brighton Center – Downtown via Oak Square and Mass Turnpike)
The 501 had one of those drivers that hates when you take pictures of them. He said that I needed to have his permission to take pictures of the bus. I wasn't really sure what to say, so I just said "Okay, sorry," and went to the back. Neither of us mentioned it...
Random Photos: Keeping Watch Over the Humans
I was at Sullivan Square, and by the CharlieCard machines, there was a pigeon just sitting up on a gate. No one seemed to notice, so I took the liberty of taking a picture. Very photogenic!
Random Photos: Dystopian City
Yet another foggy picture. This one was on the 93, just outside of Sullivan. To the left of the bus, Boston was visible, and I'm sure it's a fantastic view on sunny days. On this day, however, it looked oddly menacing and, as the post title suggests, dystopian....
Random Photos: Shrouded in Fog
I was on the Red Line heading to Charles/MGH (where it seems many of these "foggy" pictures come from), and noticed that the upper half of the John Hancock Building was completely shrouded in fog. I managed to get a picture, despite the stupid fence they've put up...
93 (Sullivan Square Station – Downtown via Bunker Hill Street and Haymarket Station)
Have you ever noticed that finding a bus downtown is like finding a needle in a haystack? When looking for the starting point of the 93, I went to both of the major stops downtown (Otis and Summer, and Federal and Franklin) and the 93 stopped at neither. I had a paper...
Random Photos: The Driver’s a Pirate!
Get it? 'Cause the countdown clock says "ARR?" And pirates go "ARR?" Get it? Get it?
JFK/UMASS
"Attention passengers: the next Red Line train to Alewife is now arriving on the Braintree track." Darn! I was waiting on the Ashmont track! Now I have to run all the way back to the stairs, run all the way back to the mezzanine, run all the way to the other side of...
Service Change: UMASS Boston Shuttle (Route 1)
When I heard we taking the train to JFK/UMASS to go to the JFK Library for a school trip, I got pretty excited. When I heard we would be taking a non-MBTA shuttle bus from JFK/UMASS to get to the library, I got really excited. Keep in mind, however, that this was a...
21 (Ashmont Station – Forest Hills Station via Morton Street)
You may remember the 31. It was the only bus on this blog (as of yet) to score a perfect 10. Running from Mattapan to Forest Hills, its amazing speed combined with an amazing schedule (every five minutes and it's not even a Key Bus Route!) made it the near-perfect...
215 (Quincy Center Station – Ashmont Station via West Quincy and East Milton Square)
"There was a massive crash on 93 - the traffic's horrible," said my father over the phone. "Just wanted to let you know if you end up over there." I didn't think I'd end up over there, as there are no buses that go on 93 from Quincy Center. But little did I know as I...
Longwood
When you have to go to the Longwood Medical Area, you have two options: take the E to Longwood Medical Area Station, or take the D to Longwood Station. You can either wait for a train that never comes, or you can grab a train that runs pretty frequently. You can...
214 (Quincy Center Station – Germantown via Sea Street and O’Brien Towers) and 216 (Quincy Center Station – Houghs Neck via Sea Street)
Why do I always make these beach trips when it's cloudy out? It happened again with the 214/216 (which run as one route on weekends), but at least it wasn't insanely foggy this time. The 214 and 216 both serve a peninsula to the east of Quincy Center, with the 214...
Random Photos: Some High Speed Amtrak Trains
I was waiting at Ruggles for a Commuter Rail train to South Station (long story, maybe I'll tell it at some point). I saw one going the other way, and it was coming in pretty fast. The driver honked the horn, and didn't seem to be slowing down. As the high-speed...