Guess what? In much of the world, a failing public service is considered CRIMINAL or, at least, a reason for much social unrest and demands for better value.
Boston seems to like sucking, if you attitude is the norm. Just accept it or buy your way out - don't expect anything but jobs for buddies from government.
Mudder, you are EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG about this area, and everything wrong that drowns out the much that is right. Keep it up - you'll have that Detroit you desire in no time! Or, maybe, you should just move to Detroit and make room for somebody who wants service for their money.
The comments went in two directions: bashing the blogger (cliche) and bashing the awful system and demanding that Boston not suck as a city, which is the right answer.
The original blogger though complains not just about the system, but also about her fellow riders.
Quote from her blog:
"What pushed me over from denial to utter disgust and contempt? These last two days. The fun of people watching and enjoying the quirks of others turned into realizing that I am surrounded by utter assholes"
If she is also parking at Alewife, and has free or discount parking avialable where she works, then the cost of driving may indeed be cheaper, or comparable.
If she walks from home to the station and has to pay to park near her work place, then her math seems off.
I gave up my pass last month, and have made the transition to walking to work 95% of the time.
It came after time and time again I realized that I'd either tie or beat the MBTA's service door to door. The cold is a pain, but bundle up and it's actually refreshing. Luckily my route is littered with responsible business owners that have snow cleared from the sidewalk relatively early on work days.
So the MBTA just lost one rider and $60.00/month. I spent $30 on a new phone, and tracking trough a pedometer app that uses GPS I’ve found I’ve already walked 45 miles and burnt ~4500 calories in 4 weeks.
So, a better phone to keep me connected, more exercise, and $30 more in my pocket a month.
It should work with any ANDROID OS smartphone. Not sure if they have a iPhone App.
There’s other pedometers I haven’t tried yet, but this one seems to work fine. GPS tracks you on a google map layout and you can even upload your data to the website . A History button centers your current location on a google map and will show you your lifetime distance as a giant circle. So far, if I walked in a straight line I would have made it to Worcester, or NH, or almost Pawtucket. It calculates speed, distance, calories burnt and keeps track of elevation changes, ect.
As for the phone, couldn’t be happier. I upgraded from a 5 year old LG flip phone (their first camera phone), so it’s been a huge jump. My bill went up $30 a month due to the mandatory data plan, but as I said scuttling my MBTA membership more then paid for it.
I figure every 2-3 months I’ll just throw $30 on a Charlie Card for emergency use and I’ll be fine in the event I need to catch a bus or the T.
Her math is also suspect. She's claims to be paying $168 a month and/but says she lives 8 miles from work. That would buy you a zone 3 monthly pass. This person is either an idiot or, uh, an idiot.
From her post, sounds like she's driving to a subway station and then riding the T, not taking the commuter rail.
She has some good points. But I can't agree with her about being annoyed when the doors closed. Trains need to leave sometime, and since there are always people coming onto the platform, that means sometimes doors will close when people want to board.
True, but that goes back to trains not being on schedual, bunching up, or not enough coverage during rush hour; and feeling if you see a train you can get on, you need to do so now because who knows when the next will come.
I'm go out and guess she's taking the Green line.
I remember winters on the green and it was horrible. 30-45 min of waiting, only to get three trains in a row, all packed to the brim because they were running so close to each other, and so far from the others that no matter which platform they reached they faced a full platform and had to leave people behind, and then another 30 min wait for the same.
Not the green line, and is talking about getting on at Downtown Crossing. Red line conductors close the doors all the time with people just arriving at the platforms. It's not that unusual.
She said she got the doors closed on her riding the red line. The cost of her commute does sound wierd. Where does it cost $7/day to park on the redline? Alewife? I also live 8 miles from my office but fortunately take the Needham line in (when I don't bike), which is basically bliss compared to my old ride from Central Sq. on the mosh pit that is any inbound red-line train from Cambridge during rush hour. Learn the Roslindale, Live the Roslindale, Love the Roslindale.
I'm curious as to why she's paying $42 a week to take the T. A LinkPass is $59 a month for unlimited bus and subway rides.
And she says that parking is $30 a week. But is she also factoring in gas, wear and tear, etc that also quickly add up when driving on a regular basis? If gas is $2.50 a gallon and she gets 25 mpg, that's about $8 a week for a 16 mile round trip daily commute. So, already we're up to $38 in total...
Whether her math is good or not is irrelevant. If it was $10 cheaper to walk to work barefoot on hot coals, would you consider that a bargain? The point is that the MBTA, which likes to pretend it is a business with "customers," just lost yet another one due its massive mismanagement and below-zero quality of life on its trains. As she just found out, the MBTA today is intended only for people who are absolutely forced to use it. Furthermore, she is exactly the sort of "customer" the MBTA and society in general desperately needs using public transit. The system failed her, and thus all of us--as usual.
The public transportation system failed because she doesn't want to share public space with the general public? That seems to be one of her largest complaints.
Yes. Wrap your mind around the concept of public transit working only if it is safe and appealing. You can do it. Or are you telling us that you ride the T for fun because it's such a pleasant place to socialize?
See, since this is the internet, I expect the sort of tired condescension that your reply brings. Like the T, this is (somewhat) of a public space, so that's an expected cost of travelling through cyberspace with which I am comfortable.
However...this sort of condescension would be less welcomed inside my home which is my private space.
When you take the subway, prepare to have a lesser level of comfort than in your private vehicle and don't be shocked by the fact that your fellow citizens may not have the level of manners or personal grooming habits that you demand. In the original post that really seemed to be one of her major complaints, (along with the fact that the T did not wait for her as an indvidual) and reasons why she no longer wants to take the T.
I really have no idea how the T or any public transportation system can guarantee that people will not sneeze without covering their mouths or step on your feet.
I find it funny to read about people complaining about the MBTA when right now we have one of the best systems in the country.
-DC is talking about cutting evening service to 30 minute headways, and day offpeak service to 15 minutes!
-Miami is already down to 30 minutes off peak
-San Francisco just finished cutting a bunch of bus routes....and it talking about doing it again
-BART cut service to 15 minutes
-NYC just raised fares to $2.25, but that isn't enough, they have massive service cuts coming
These are the examples I know off the top of my head, but Atlanta, Cincinnati etc are also in big trouble. I think Chicago is doing ok.
The tax increase last year really did save us from huge cuts, even though a gas tax raise would have been better than sales tax. No other city has been able to fill their budgets.
And the stimulus plan, like usual, didn't contribute a dime to operations. Every system listed above has massive expansion projects underway, but can't afford to run basic service. Why is this the case? Lobbying. Expansion gives shitloads of money to contractors, engineers, consultants etc. Operations "just" pays for wages.
I find it funny to read about people complaining about the MBTA when right now we have one of the best systems in the country.
That's nice dear. I'll just bet that you saw a systematic review of the evidence that concludes this, and I'm sure you will link to the executive summary when you get a chance, no?
You're insufferable. It's common knowledge that the MBTA is one of the best systems in the country. Of course it's also common knowledge that this isn't saying much *at all*, but you don't have to jump on anyone for making an obviously true statement without superfluous documentation. Outside of New York, there's hardly a more comprehensive system relative to the size of the metro. DC has a better, more reliable system, of course, being primarily heavy rail. But that puts Boston in a class of three? Chicago and Boston are comparable, and the Bay Area is too fragmented. BART works fine as a commuter type rail, but MUNI is backwards (light rail serves areas that need it least, while the rest have to rely on crappy buses).
First of all, why must you be such a bitch? Does it make your life easier? Does it make the T run better?
Now, we're one of the only systems in the country not talking about massive fare hikes or service cuts. This is a fact. I gave you examples, run your own damn google search if you dont believe me.
Plus, we *already* have some areas of our grid that don't see service for 30 minutes between buses, etc. For example, during RUSH hour, the 64 bus doesn't go inbound much better than 30 minutes between runs and it's one of the ONLY means of crossing the river west of Mass Ave!
What pie-in-the-sky mass transit system are you talking about? The MBTA is *already* crappier AND asking the exact same questions as every other system...and probably looking at even BIGGER needed reductions in service AND increases in fares to maintain self-sufficiency because of the screwed-up funding mechanism foisted on it with the sales tax combined with the atrocious decision to lump the agency with a chunk of the Big Dig costs in order to get them off of the state's other books, all based on an extrapolation of increasing sales data that would make Ronald Reagan do a voodoo economic double take.
You'll note, if you scroll up, that I acknowledge the issues this summer, but Massachusetts has so far been the only state to respond by finding a source of funding. I also mentioned that I thought raising the gas tax would have been a better solution. How did you miss all that?
And why are you talking about buses? Of course there are infrequent buses. I'm talking about our (and other cities) subway systems, which are supposed to be the high frequency backbone of the system.
Yes, Route 64 is one of the ONLY means to cross the river west of Mass Ave.....except also for Route 47, Route CT2, Route 70, Route 70A, Route 66, and Route 86.
While DC does run until 3am....30 minute headways will make it useless. They are proposing to cut service after 2am as well. There is also no coordination between trains, so wait times for transfers will be terrible. Last time I was in DC, I was greeted by a 22 minute countdown at my transfer.
San Francisco does not operate past midnight actually. BART closes at midnight, as does MUNI (so earlier than the T). Some bus lines do operate all night. Looks like Caltrain also ends at 12am.
LA also shuts down their trains at midnight, but does offer some 24 hour routes.
California has just announced a plan to cut 1 billion (thats right, billion) in funding to mass transit, so unless they can stop to governor, I cant see the late night buses running much longer.
when you're a $40 cab fare away from home, 30 minute headways on the Metro aren't useless. I would love that in Boston. And remember the Globe article on late night transportation in Boston that says:
Fights along State and Broad streets often stem from fierce competition for cabs, say police. Two-hour waits for transportation are common.
Getting home from a lot of places in this city means a longer wait than your 22 minutes unless you want/are able to walk. If I'm out with a group of friends, it's hard to convince them to walk from Faneuil Hall back to Allston. So I've just stopped going to areas like that because I know of how annoying the end of the night will be. Open up the T and charge me double fare and I'll gladly pay it for the ability to get back to my home at a (more) reasonable hour without having to listen to people on the streets complaining about the lack of cabs.
SF's MUNI "shuts down" at midnight, but if you live where I did, the MUNI is just replace by a Night Owl bus that runs exactly the same route. I was lucky enough to live on the L, a route that does just that. While requiring planning, you can make a choice in that city to live somewhere that has late night transportation. You don't have that choice in Boston.
Ive always felt that way. There are probably hundreds of Cambridge, Brookline and Somverille Cabs sitting around on these nights waiting for lame fares.
It sucks walking around finding cabs at fanuel hall at 2-3am on a weekend.
I should add, what I would be a big fan of is trains every 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights, ideally designed so that there are 15 minute transfers between lines. That way, if one is running late, you should never miss another train by 1 minute and have a 29 minute wait, instead one group shifts to 20 and one shifts to 10. If they really believe ridership would be too low to justify the cost, charge double the fare. $3.50 is a lot cheaper than a cab or what you have to pay for service in DC.
I actually think MBTA is doing a good job, having ridden regularly in many other cities including 3 of those listed above as well as St. Louis. I don't understand most of the complaints as they just seem to be common problems with public transit. And most complaints seem to suggest things happen every day that I see occur once every two weeks at most.
She's right about the rudeness. Not everyone, of course, but we've got our share of Massholes on the T as well. And when these idiots who can't cover their coughs serve as human petri dishes for the rest of us, I can see why someone would go apesh*t.
The T works for me despite the inconveniences. I'll take it over dealing with city traffic any day. But it has its definite downsides.
Comments
stop whining, first off any
stop whining, first off any knucklehead KNOWS how horrendous the T is, and its "customers". geesh dawn breaks over marblehead.
Start Demanding Better Service
Guess what? In much of the world, a failing public service is considered CRIMINAL or, at least, a reason for much social unrest and demands for better value.
Boston seems to like sucking, if you attitude is the norm. Just accept it or buy your way out - don't expect anything but jobs for buddies from government.
Mudder, you are EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG about this area, and everything wrong that drowns out the much that is right. Keep it up - you'll have that Detroit you desire in no time! Or, maybe, you should just move to Detroit and make room for somebody who wants service for their money.
I love it
The comments went in two directions: bashing the blogger (cliche) and bashing the awful system and demanding that Boston not suck as a city, which is the right answer.
The original blogger though
The original blogger though complains not just about the system, but also about her fellow riders.
Quote from her blog:
"What pushed me over from denial to utter disgust and contempt? These last two days. The fun of people watching and enjoying the quirks of others turned into realizing that I am surrounded by utter assholes"
The train doors closing in
The train doors closing in front of some stupid girl who can't figure out that $60 a month is cheaper than $42 a week is not a crime.
Remember when a red line conductor got fired for trapping someone in the doors? Maybe they really didn't want that to happen again.
Actually the $42 a week is
Actually the $42 a week is because she had to pay for parking. The T really does suck unless you can get from a to b with no car whatsoever.
If she is also parking at
If she is also parking at Alewife, and has free or discount parking avialable where she works, then the cost of driving may indeed be cheaper, or comparable.
If she walks from home to the station and has to pay to park near her work place, then her math seems off.
missing variable in your calculation
She was including parking at the T-stop for $7 per day in her calculations.
I also dropped the MBTA
I gave up my pass last month, and have made the transition to walking to work 95% of the time.
It came after time and time again I realized that I'd either tie or beat the MBTA's service door to door. The cold is a pain, but bundle up and it's actually refreshing. Luckily my route is littered with responsible business owners that have snow cleared from the sidewalk relatively early on work days.
So the MBTA just lost one rider and $60.00/month. I spent $30 on a new phone, and tracking trough a pedometer app that uses GPS I’ve found I’ve already walked 45 miles and burnt ~4500 calories in 4 weeks.
So, a better phone to keep me connected, more exercise, and $30 more in my pocket a month.
Next up is looking into Zipcar.
Details, S.V.P.
> I spent $30 on a new phone, and tracking trough a pedometer app that uses GPS I’ve found
Which phone, which app?
Inquiring minds (etc.) ...
;~}
Picked up the DROID (I
Picked up the DROID (I require VZW) and have been using free version of Cardio Trainer App (http://www.worksmartlabs.com/cardiotrainer/about.php)
It should work with any ANDROID OS smartphone. Not sure if they have a iPhone App.
There’s other pedometers I haven’t tried yet, but this one seems to work fine. GPS tracks you on a google map layout and you can even upload your data to the website . A History button centers your current location on a google map and will show you your lifetime distance as a giant circle. So far, if I walked in a straight line I would have made it to Worcester, or NH, or almost Pawtucket. It calculates speed, distance, calories burnt and keeps track of elevation changes, ect.
As for the phone, couldn’t be happier. I upgraded from a 5 year old LG flip phone (their first camera phone), so it’s been a huge jump. My bill went up $30 a month due to the mandatory data plan, but as I said scuttling my MBTA membership more then paid for it.
I figure every 2-3 months I’ll just throw $30 on a Charlie Card for emergency use and I’ll be fine in the event I need to catch a bus or the T.
They shut the door on her .. poor girl
I love when people get all pissy when the train closes the door on them.
Im sure no one else on that train wanted to get home either.
People wait for train , trains don't wait for people
math
Her math is also suspect. She's claims to be paying $168 a month and/but says she lives 8 miles from work. That would buy you a zone 3 monthly pass. This person is either an idiot or, uh, an idiot.
Think she's on the subway
From her post, sounds like she's driving to a subway station and then riding the T, not taking the commuter rail.
She has some good points. But I can't agree with her about being annoyed when the doors closed. Trains need to leave sometime, and since there are always people coming onto the platform, that means sometimes doors will close when people want to board.
True, but that goes back to
True, but that goes back to trains not being on schedual, bunching up, or not enough coverage during rush hour; and feeling if you see a train you can get on, you need to do so now because who knows when the next will come.
I'm go out and guess she's taking the Green line.
I remember winters on the green and it was horrible. 30-45 min of waiting, only to get three trains in a row, all packed to the brim because they were running so close to each other, and so far from the others that no matter which platform they reached they faced a full platform and had to leave people behind, and then another 30 min wait for the same.
No, she's taking the red line
Not the green line, and is talking about getting on at Downtown Crossing. Red line conductors close the doors all the time with people just arriving at the platforms. It's not that unusual.
Red Line
She said she got the doors closed on her riding the red line. The cost of her commute does sound wierd. Where does it cost $7/day to park on the redline? Alewife? I also live 8 miles from my office but fortunately take the Needham line in (when I don't bike), which is basically bliss compared to my old ride from Central Sq. on the mosh pit that is any inbound red-line train from Cambridge during rush hour. Learn the Roslindale, Live the Roslindale, Love the Roslindale.
Costs
I'm curious as to why she's paying $42 a week to take the T. A LinkPass is $59 a month for unlimited bus and subway rides.
And she says that parking is $30 a week. But is she also factoring in gas, wear and tear, etc that also quickly add up when driving on a regular basis? If gas is $2.50 a gallon and she gets 25 mpg, that's about $8 a week for a 16 mile round trip daily commute. So, already we're up to $38 in total...
According to the response on her blog
She pays $7/day for parking plus $7/week for a pass.
Not sure where she's working,
Not sure where she's working, but that would make driving into south boston and parking around the A street lots cost effective.
Even with traffic headaches, taking a car into the city from 8 miles out is much, much faster.
Whether her math is good or
Whether her math is good or not is irrelevant. If it was $10 cheaper to walk to work barefoot on hot coals, would you consider that a bargain? The point is that the MBTA, which likes to pretend it is a business with "customers," just lost yet another one due its massive mismanagement and below-zero quality of life on its trains. As she just found out, the MBTA today is intended only for people who are absolutely forced to use it. Furthermore, she is exactly the sort of "customer" the MBTA and society in general desperately needs using public transit. The system failed her, and thus all of us--as usual.
The public transportation
The public transportation system failed because she doesn't want to share public space with the general public? That seems to be one of her largest complaints.
Yes. Wrap your mind around
Yes. Wrap your mind around the concept of public transit working only if it is safe and appealing. You can do it. Or are you telling us that you ride the T for fun because it's such a pleasant place to socialize?
See, since this is the
See, since this is the internet, I expect the sort of tired condescension that your reply brings. Like the T, this is (somewhat) of a public space, so that's an expected cost of travelling through cyberspace with which I am comfortable.
However...this sort of condescension would be less welcomed inside my home which is my private space.
When you take the subway, prepare to have a lesser level of comfort than in your private vehicle and don't be shocked by the fact that your fellow citizens may not have the level of manners or personal grooming habits that you demand. In the original post that really seemed to be one of her major complaints, (along with the fact that the T did not wait for her as an indvidual) and reasons why she no longer wants to take the T.
I really have no idea how the T or any public transportation system can guarantee that people will not sneeze without covering their mouths or step on your feet.
I find it funny to read about
I find it funny to read about people complaining about the MBTA when right now we have one of the best systems in the country.
-DC is talking about cutting evening service to 30 minute headways, and day offpeak service to 15 minutes!
-Miami is already down to 30 minutes off peak
-San Francisco just finished cutting a bunch of bus routes....and it talking about doing it again
-BART cut service to 15 minutes
-NYC just raised fares to $2.25, but that isn't enough, they have massive service cuts coming
These are the examples I know off the top of my head, but Atlanta, Cincinnati etc are also in big trouble. I think Chicago is doing ok.
The tax increase last year really did save us from huge cuts, even though a gas tax raise would have been better than sales tax. No other city has been able to fill their budgets.
And the stimulus plan, like usual, didn't contribute a dime to operations. Every system listed above has massive expansion projects underway, but can't afford to run basic service. Why is this the case? Lobbying. Expansion gives shitloads of money to contractors, engineers, consultants etc. Operations "just" pays for wages.
Statistics Please
That's nice dear. I'll just bet that you saw a systematic review of the evidence that concludes this, and I'm sure you will link to the executive summary when you get a chance, no?
This is so true. I just got
This is so true. I just got done reading your executive summary that disproves this and it blew her lack of systematic review out of the water.
Dear Swirly hun,
You're insufferable. It's common knowledge that the MBTA is one of the best systems in the country. Of course it's also common knowledge that this isn't saying much *at all*, but you don't have to jump on anyone for making an obviously true statement without superfluous documentation. Outside of New York, there's hardly a more comprehensive system relative to the size of the metro. DC has a better, more reliable system, of course, being primarily heavy rail. But that puts Boston in a class of three? Chicago and Boston are comparable, and the Bay Area is too fragmented. BART works fine as a commuter type rail, but MUNI is backwards (light rail serves areas that need it least, while the rest have to rely on crappy buses).
First of all, why must you be
First of all, why must you be such a bitch? Does it make your life easier? Does it make the T run better?
Now, we're one of the only systems in the country not talking about massive fare hikes or service cuts. This is a fact. I gave you examples, run your own damn google search if you dont believe me.
I'll even get you started off
New York:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20401024...
DC
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=4525
Maryland
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/dot/tran...
Los Angeles
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/metr...
I'll take a red line door closing in my face over 30 minute headways any and every day.
What are you talking about?
I mean, seriously. Did you just move to Boston? Fresh off the Greyhound?
April 2009: MBTA plans for drastic cuts in bus/rail service
July 2009: MBTA plans 20% fare increase
Plus, we *already* have some areas of our grid that don't see service for 30 minutes between buses, etc. For example, during RUSH hour, the 64 bus doesn't go inbound much better than 30 minutes between runs and it's one of the ONLY means of crossing the river west of Mass Ave!
What pie-in-the-sky mass transit system are you talking about? The MBTA is *already* crappier AND asking the exact same questions as every other system...and probably looking at even BIGGER needed reductions in service AND increases in fares to maintain self-sufficiency because of the screwed-up funding mechanism foisted on it with the sales tax combined with the atrocious decision to lump the agency with a chunk of the Big Dig costs in order to get them off of the state's other books, all based on an extrapolation of increasing sales data that would make Ronald Reagan do a voodoo economic double take.
Someone doesn't know jack
Someone doesn't know jack about MBTA bus service, it seems.
I've lived in Boston since
I've lived in Boston since 2005.
You'll note, if you scroll up, that I acknowledge the issues this summer, but Massachusetts has so far been the only state to respond by finding a source of funding. I also mentioned that I thought raising the gas tax would have been a better solution. How did you miss all that?
And why are you talking about buses? Of course there are infrequent buses. I'm talking about our (and other cities) subway systems, which are supposed to be the high frequency backbone of the system.
Yes, Route 64 is one of the
Yes, Route 64 is one of the ONLY means to cross the river west of Mass Ave.....except also for Route 47, Route CT2, Route 70, Route 70A, Route 66, and Route 86.
but at least in DC (and NYC
but at least in DC (and NYC and SF), I can get home if I decide to stay out past midnight....
While DC does run until
While DC does run until 3am....30 minute headways will make it useless. They are proposing to cut service after 2am as well. There is also no coordination between trains, so wait times for transfers will be terrible. Last time I was in DC, I was greeted by a 22 minute countdown at my transfer.
San Francisco does not operate past midnight actually. BART closes at midnight, as does MUNI (so earlier than the T). Some bus lines do operate all night. Looks like Caltrain also ends at 12am.
LA also shuts down their trains at midnight, but does offer some 24 hour routes.
California has just announced a plan to cut 1 billion (thats right, billion) in funding to mass transit, so unless they can stop to governor, I cant see the late night buses running much longer.
when you're a $40 cab fare
when you're a $40 cab fare away from home, 30 minute headways on the Metro aren't useless. I would love that in Boston. And remember the Globe article on late night transportation in Boston that says:
Getting home from a lot of places in this city means a longer wait than your 22 minutes unless you want/are able to walk. If I'm out with a group of friends, it's hard to convince them to walk from Faneuil Hall back to Allston. So I've just stopped going to areas like that because I know of how annoying the end of the night will be. Open up the T and charge me double fare and I'll gladly pay it for the ability to get back to my home at a (more) reasonable hour without having to listen to people on the streets complaining about the lack of cabs.
SF's MUNI "shuts down" at midnight, but if you live where I did, the MUNI is just replace by a Night Owl bus that runs exactly the same route. I was lucky enough to live on the L, a route that does just that. While requiring planning, you can make a choice in that city to live somewhere that has late night transportation. You don't have that choice in Boston.
Boston should let other cab companies come into Boston
on Friday and Saturday nights.
Ive always felt that way. There are probably hundreds of Cambridge, Brookline and Somverille Cabs sitting around on these nights waiting for lame fares.
It sucks walking around finding cabs at fanuel hall at 2-3am on a weekend.
I should add, what I would be
I should add, what I would be a big fan of is trains every 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights, ideally designed so that there are 15 minute transfers between lines. That way, if one is running late, you should never miss another train by 1 minute and have a 29 minute wait, instead one group shifts to 20 and one shifts to 10. If they really believe ridership would be too low to justify the cost, charge double the fare. $3.50 is a lot cheaper than a cab or what you have to pay for service in DC.
I actually think MBTA is doing a good job, having ridden regularly in many other cities including 3 of those listed above as well as St. Louis. I don't understand most of the complaints as they just seem to be common problems with public transit. And most complaints seem to suggest things happen every day that I see occur once every two weeks at most.
cincinnati's rapid transit is
cincinnati's rapid transit is in far worse shape than the T
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Subway
though i think that still beats the silver line
the rudeness
She's right about the rudeness. Not everyone, of course, but we've got our share of Massholes on the T as well. And when these idiots who can't cover their coughs serve as human petri dishes for the rest of us, I can see why someone would go apesh*t.
The T works for me despite the inconveniences. I'll take it over dealing with city traffic any day. But it has its definite downsides.
The more I read about this
The more I'm happy to put money into my bikes instead.