Better Bus Update: July 2024
Anthony D'Isidoro
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Better Bus Project Update: July 2024 Welcome back to the Better Bus Project Update, a resource for keeping up to date on the latest information on improvements, projects, and events related to the MBTA’s bus network. In addition to project updates you already receive as a subscriber to the Better Bus Project email list, every other month, we’ll be providing updates to keep riders, partners, and communities in the know about Better Bus, the set of projects to improve our bus system. Better Bus consists of:
Upcoming Improvements are Electrifying Progress Continues on Bus Facility Modernization Work The MBTA is modernizing bus facilities to support an expanded and upgraded fleet. As the oldest facility in our system, the Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility lacks the required technology and space to support newer buses. Because only older buses can run from this garage, Quincy routes experience limited service frequency and reliability issues. Construction for a new facility for a larger, more modern fleet, including Battery Electric Buses (BEBs), is underway. This new facility will support future service expansion while supporting our efforts to reduce our environmental impact.
Aerial photo of the new Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility taken from Penn Street on June 19, 2024. Construction efforts include footing excavation and placement, masonry installation, underground plumbing installation, retaining wall construction, and utility pole relocation on the newly re-constructed Columbia Street. The early demolition for the new Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility was completed in Fall 2022. Construction for the facility began in Summer 2023, which included sitework along Columbia Street to Burgin Parkway, new sidewalks and retaining walls along Burgin Parkway, and foundation work for the new switching station building. Foundation work for the Main Building started in early 2024 and is expected to continue through Summer 2024. Masonry work began in June 2024, and steel work is scheduled for July 2024. National Grid will install new electric infrastructure required for the site in late 2024. No major upcoming meetings or surveys are planned for the project, as environmental and design reviews are complete, and the project is in construction. Updates are posted regularly on the project website, and the project team can be contacted at quin...@mbta.com with any questions or comments..
Bus Network Redesign Updates Bus Stop Sign Pilot Feedback Heard Loud and Clear As we prepare for upcoming service changes for the Bus Network Redesign, the MBTA piloted a new bus stop sign design, which is taller and wider, with larger font and number sizes to make them easier to read. The design also featured a new symbol for Frequent Bus Routes (those that run every 15 minutes or less, every day, from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.). Learn more about the pilot at mbta.com/bussigns.
As part of the pilot, we conducted public outreach from April 8 to May 3, 2024, to gather input on the new design, including:
We received 646 survey responses, with an overwhelmingly positive response. Respondents expressed broad support for the wider size, larger text and numbers, and double-sided signs. However, they had questions regarding the meaning of the clock icon, if it applied to all routes or just one, and whether the bus would arrive every 15 minutes or better. Clarity was a top concern for respondents, so we are adjusting the sign design based on the feedback we received:
These new signs will start rolling out in Fall 2024, before the Phase 1 Service Changes scheduled for December 15, 2024, at more than 300 bus stop locations.
Outreach events at Brighton Avenue bus stop and Harvard Station, where the MBTA’s Public Engagement
and Bus Transformation teams presented the new and old bus stop signs side-by-side and gathered input from riders. Improving Reliability with Transit Priority Projects Achievement: MBTA Awarded Over $25 Million in RAISE Grant Funding The Healey-Driscoll Administration recently celebrated receiving over $25 million in federal funding for three critical transportation projects, including a major bus transit priority project. The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program grants include $22 million for MBTA’s Lower Broadway Everett Transit Priority Corridor Project. The project is a collaboration between MassDOT, the MBTA, the City of Everett, and the City of Boston, with the goal of reducing harmful emissions while improving safety for these historically disadvantaged communities. When complete, the project will introduce a faster and more reliable connection to the Sullivan Square Orange Line station as well as lay the groundwork for the future expansion of Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit service to the City of Everett. Read the press release here for more details on how the RAISE grant funds will be used to improve the corridor serving as the primary connection between Everett and Boston.
Transit Priority Projects Showcase: Updates in Multiple Municipalities The MBTA is advancing approximately 50 projects in collaboration with municipal partners. In June and July, five projects were completed, resulting in real on-the-ground changes for riders. Projects are guided by the MBTA Transit Priority Vision and Toolkit.
Crews paint a bus-only turn lane in Arborway. These efforts are part of the MBTA’s work to expand transit priority investments to improve bus service reliability and reduce travel delays in the region. Learn more at mbta.com/buspriority.
Connecting All Riders to Better Bus Service Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI) Updates As riders know well, not all bus stops are created equal, but your bus stop has to work for you, to be able to ride the bus. This is especially true for riders with wheeled mobility devices, where the bus’s ramp must touch down successfully at each bus stop to be accessible. The Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI) program was undertaken by the MBTA’s Department of System-Wide Accessibility (SWA) to address all meaningful barriers in the MBTA bus network and improve pedestrian connections between inbound and outbound bus stops. PATI is a multi-phased, multi-year project, designing and constructing ADA-compliant paired bus stops and creating accessible paths of travel between them. Learn more at the Bus Stop Accessibility Improvements page. The key objectives of the PATI Bus Program are to:
Through the PATI project, we have identified 280 stops as critical and inaccessible to riders using wheeled mobility devices to board or exit in the street. We also identified 662 bus stops as high priority. Of the 280 critical bus stops, we have:
Progress has been temporarily paused at the remaining 45 critical stops while we negotiate and resolve issues related to property abutters or easements. Of the 662 bus stops categorized as high priority:
We’ve made a lot of progress, but the work isn’t over yet. Bus stops still need help to be accessible for all. We will address the remaining high priority stops as funding becomes available. Before:
After:
Conditions of two bus stops on Circuit Drive next to Shattuck Hospital before and after PATI improvements
were completed. Project Spotlight Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Plan Outreach Efforts The MBTA is working in partnership with the City of Boston to redesign Blue Hill Avenue between Warren Street in Grove Hall and River Street in Mattapan Square as part of the MBTA Better Bus Project and Transit Priority Program. Blue Hill Avenue runs through Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan and serves 10 bus routes - this corridor boasts some of the highest ridership in our system. DID YOU KNOW? The bus routes on Blue Hill Avenue combined serve almost as many riders as the entire MBTA Blue Line! The MBTA and the City of Boston held a series of outreach events to kick-off the first phase of community engagement for the Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan, which will redesign the corridor between Warren Street in Grove Hall and River Street in Mattapan Square. Events included six pop-up workshops along the corridor and two open houses between May 29 and June 27 to collect feedback from community members about proposed bus stop locations, pedestrian safety improvement needs, tree canopy and green infrastructure, parking and curbside management needs, and biking access.
Riders spoke with Blue Hill Avenue team members at a Mattapan Square bus stop on May 29, learning about the project and providing feedback. Additionally, the team hosted a survey, available in six languages, to gather input. Feedback collected as part of this outreach will inform the conceptual design for the corridor project, which will go through a subsequent round of community engagement in fall 2024. To learn more and sign up for project updates, please visit the MBTA’s Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan webpage or the City of Boston’s Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan webpage.
Summer Service Changes Summer changes for bus service became effective June 16. Visit the Summer 2024 Service Changes page for information about specific routes, and view all bus schedules here. Make the most of your summer and
Get Outside with the T! Service runs to
multiple beaches so you can cool down, splash in the surf, and avoid the traffic there and back. You can also
plan your own adventure to many locations around Boston. Join Us at Upcoming Events! MBTA Board Meetings Board Meetings are held every month. Upcoming meeting dates include August 22, and September 26. Visit MBTA.com/events for the latest dates and information on events.
Stay Connected We’ll be back in September to share more updates on all things bus. To stay informed about the progress of the Better Bus Project and its initiatives in the meantime, visit mbta.com/BetterBus.
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Best regards, The Better Bus Project Team
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the MBTA does not discriminate against any person in its programs, services and activities based on race, color or national origin. To learn more about your civil rights or to file a complaint, please contact: MBTA Title VI Specialist
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