buses

Triginta novem on Huntington Avenue this afternoon. Photo by Kyle.

Scientists believe the behavior is an innate reaction to the presence of predators.

So this guy from East Boston strikes up a conversation with another guy sitting on a bench in the busway at Andrew station this afternoon. He's feeling mellow, gets a joint out of his right jacket pocket, lights up and offers his newfound friend a toke.

Unfortunately for the man, the guy was an undercover Transit Police officer, assigned to anti-drug duty at the South Boston station, police report.

Transit Police report the officer summoned other officers and they confiscated the man's cigarette - and the two additional bags of pot he had in his pocket. Fortunately for him, he was holding less than an ounce, so he was only issued a $100 citation, police say.

Jessica Orndorff tweets:

Just saw an MBTA bus in Andrew with "!*%?&$" on its display.

Boston Police today found and arrested Rafael Guzman, 21, charged with spitting at a driver on a 28 bus last month.

Guzman faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a public employee. His alleged accomplice, Maurice Jones, 18, of Roxbury, was arrested three days after the incident, in which Guzman allegedly responded to requests to pay his fare by spitting at the driver after which Jones made motions as if he had a gun and cursed out the driver.

Innocent, etc.

Jason, who blogs about rides on the T, reviews the 30 bus, which runs between Mattapan Square and Forest Hills via Roslindale Square:

In contrast to the 28 and 31, the 30 route itself is quite tranquil serving a mainly residential slice of western Mattapan and northern Roslindale, the parts of Boston no typical tourist would think could exist within Boston city limits. It also may be the only MBTA bus route that gets to cut through a cemetery which when coupled with the High Speed Line creates a double play of cemetery-cutting. ... The 30 keeps quiet and does its job and tries to not let delays get in its way.

Spitting images.

MBTA Transit Police today identified the man charged with spitting at a 28 bus driver on April 23 as Rafael Guzman, 21.

If caught, Guzman will be charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a public employee. His alleged accomplice, Maurice Jones, 18, of Roxbury, was arrested three days after the incident, in which Guzman allegedly responded to requests to pay his fare by spitting at the driver after which Jones made motions as if he had a gun and cursed out the driver.

Innocent, etc.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a Roxbury teen on charges he threatened a Route 28 driver with what appeared to be a gun after his pal spit in the driver's face.

Maurice Jones, 18, was arrested this morning and will be arraigned in Roxbury District Court on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon for the April 18 incident. Police say they have "developed strong leads" on the other suspect, captured on video spitting at the driver after refusing to pay his bus fare.

Innocent, etc.

MBTA Transit Police are looking for a teen they say responded to a bus driver's demand he pay his fare by spitting at him and for his pal, who motioned as if he had a gun and uttered a threat. According to police, the video shows what happened around 8:45 p.m. last Wednesday on a 28 bus at Warren and Hazlewood streets in Roxbury:

The bus driver requested he pay the fare, or exit the bus. Suspect # 1, who had money in his hand, again refused, but put a quarter in the fare machine. The 51-year old bus driver again told him to pay the fare or get off the bus. Suspect # 1 then became agitated stating "You know what man," then spat directly in the driver's face, hitting his eyes, forehead, mouth area and the window. He then fled the bus. At that point, Suspect # 2 stated: "Motherfucker, you want some of this, you really want this," while gesturing to his waistband. The bus driver stated he believed Suspect # 2 was motioning his hand as if he had a firearm concealed in his waistband. Suspect # 2 then fled the bus.

Among other evidence, police now have a swab coated in the first suspect's saliva.

Matt McGowen likes the commercial, but wonders:

I hope that they don't cause confusion about the MBTA's no seat saving policy.

A delayed citizen asks why the T can't have two card readers on every bus - one for normal people and one for the first-in-liners whose CharlieCards come up empty. The city will no doubt forward this to the T.

Ed. note: A couple weeks ago at Washington and Cornell in Roslindale, I saw a most amazing thing - a guy waved other people onto the bus before him because he knew he had to add more value to his card and he didn't want to hold everybody up. You go, good sir!

Man Man the Sox Fan captured a moment on the 66 bus a couple weeks back.

Copyright Man Man the Sox Fan. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

At least nobody seemed to be hurt when an inbound 34E bus and an Escalade collided at the entrance to the Burger King and CVS on Washington Street in Roslindale around 10 a.m. today.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a Mattapan man Tuesday morning on charges he sold pot to teenagers at the Forest Hills T stop.

Police say Enrico Joseph, 23, would prepare his daily inventory of pot in plastic bags while sitting in his wheelchair on the 6:15 a.m. 30 bus between the Sunoco station on Cummins Highway in Mattapan and the Forest Hills busway. Two plainclothes officers boarded the bus at a stop before his on Tuesday after T police received a number of anonymous complaints from annoyed passengers and at least one bus driver:

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a 14-year-old on charges he flashed a gun at an MBTA bus driver at Warren and Howland streets and then did the same thing moments later to a cab driver who refused to let him and his three pals in his cab.

According to MBTA police, the alleged gunboy and friends got off the 23 bus's rear exit, then walked to the front, where the kid with the gun "tapped the door of the bus, displaying what appeared to be a black handgun." In response, the driver floored it, fearing for his life, a police report says.

Not long after, police found a cab driver, who reported:

As he was stopped by Crawford Street and Warren Street he refused several youths from getting into his cab, one of them pulled out a black colored hand gun and pointed it at him and then tapped it on the window. He said fearing for his life he drove away and called 911.

Boston Police found the four hanging out on Blue Hill Avenue:

At least, we're assuming this guy got his unique jacket on Etsy - just look at that fine handcrafted design!

Rima Chaddha Mycynek spotted man and jacket at Harvard Square today.

A Quincy man was arrested at Ashmont station yesterday after a passenger on an arriving 215 bus from Quincy reported he'd been masturbating on the trip.

Michael Wilson, 51, was charged with open and gross behavior, according to MBTA Transit Police. A police report quotes one witness who said she was sitting in the rear of the bus around 11 a.m. when she noticed that Wilson, sitting in the middle of the bus and facing another passenger, unzipped his pants, whipped it out and went to town. The passenger who got a front-row seat fled the bus immediately on its arrival at Ashmont, police said.

According to the report, an officer flagged down by the bus driver and a T inspector found Wilson sitting at the Route 23 berth, his pants unzipped, his belt unbuckled and his hands down his pants.

Innocent, etc.

Nancy Parker, 53, will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court today on charges she faked an attack on her MBTA bus in Chelsea, then collected worker's compensation.

Parker, of Burlington, is formally charged with worker's compensation fraud, misleading an investigator and filing a false report for the Oct. 2, 2007 incident on a 111 bus, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports. The T fired her after they learned of discrepancies in her claim, the DA's office says.

In 2009, a Chelsea District Court judge tore into prosecutors, saying that while Parker had changed her initial story of being shot by a stranger in a robbery attempt to being shot by an ex-lover, there was little evidence to suggest she was lying about actually being shot.

Her arraignment today comes after an indictment by a grand jury.

Innocent, etc.

Karin posts an ode to her early commute today.

Video provided by the MBTA.

The driver of a rental truck plowed through a red light and slammed into a Silver Line bus about to descend into the tunnel at Northern Avenue and D Street shortly after noon today, the T says.

Photo of the collision. Another photo of the crash.

So far this morning, a charred 39 bus was towed from Huntington Avenue near Brigham Circle and buses had to be rolled out for the C line when an overhead power line came down near Cleveland Circle.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports the city has put the T's Arborway bus yard on its list of problem properties, which it usually uses for places at high risk of catastrophic fires, excessive illegal activities and the like. In the yard's case, the issue is chemical storage and fumes. The T has shelved plans to renovate the property, citing lack of money.

Yep, just when you thought nothing else could cause problems on the T. Channel 4 reports hazmat crews are in the busway with a truck, licensed to carry radioactive materials, with readings showing a possible leak.

UPDATE: Crews began clearing scene shortly after noon, when readings showed acceptable levels.

Like, for example, Boston Nightlife Express, which is now providing bus service between the BU campus and various downtown points, 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. You reserve a ride online - mostly $6 a pop - you can buy snacks on board and you get a cookie at your destination.

Bostonography visualizes whirled peas 24 hours of bus-speed data, which, if you're really into SimCity, will remind you of a big city's traffic-congestion map, and which, if you're not, can just be appreciated as a really cool piece of art.

Tarik Muhammad didn't want any company on his trip out of Ruggles on Aug. 31, 2010, so when a man sat next to him, he told him to move - and when the man refused, they got into an argument that ended when Muhammed began beating and stabbing him, prosecutors say. Channel 4 has the surveillance video shown in court today.