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Massport to start shuttle bus between airport, Back Bay
By adamg on Thu, 03/20/2014 - 3:28pm
Boston Metro reports Massport is starting a shuttle between Logan, Copley Square and the Hynes Convention Center. The shuttle, partly in reaction to the closing of the Government Center T stop, will be free to people with an MBTA pass, $5 for everybody else.
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Comments
If its in reaction to the
If its in reaction to the closing of Government Center, why not have it pick people up near Park Street or North Station near the station being closed? Not all passengers on the green line are coming from the east to logan.
Why Back Bay?
Back Bay? Take the Orange line to State Street and transfer to the Blue line. Less than $5 and faster than a bus. No reason to take a bus from Copley. Or is the State Street connection affected by the Govt Center shutdown? (shudder)
The other Green line stations you list make sense w/ the Govt Center closing. Though heaven knows it will be a long ride via bus.
You forgot the transfer at
You forgot the transfer at Airport station to the MassPort bus. So yes, cheaper than $5, but two transfers. Not so appealing with lots of luggage.
MassPort bus?
Genuine question - what is the MassPort bus? I've lived in Boston almost 10 yrs and haven't heard of it. Where does it stop? What are the transfer stations? What does it cost?
No snark here, there's always something new to learn.
Logan Express?
They have these Greyhound-like buses that you can take from Framingham, Braintree and, um, maybe someplace on the North Shore, to and from the airport.
I was referring to the
I was referring to the shuttle you get on at Airport station after leaving the T.
Airport shuttle
I think we're talking about the same thing. I regularly take the shuttle bus between Logan and the Blue line Airport T stop. It's only a loop from what I see. From Airport I get on the Blue line to State, where I connect to the Orange line to Forest Hills via Back Bay. Is there a better route via bus ?
maybe someplace on the North Shore
Peabody. I believe C&J Trailways may also run a bus from Newburyport, or something, right off I-95.
"faster than a bus"
Raises a good question. How is the bus getting to Logan? I thought, "Oh good, sail down the Pike and through the Ted!" But, as we know, the Pike lacks sufficient access in the area.
Proceed Westbound On The Turnpike And Use Allston "U-Turn" Ramp
Same thing for getting to Copley from the airport.
I don't think that the buses will go westbound on the pike.
I do not think this will be the case, as I believe that the "U-turn to Boston" at the A-B tolls is for passenger cars only because the turning radius is too tight for anything much longer than those (and I think certainly too tight for a bus).
On the other hand, this is some evidence that our transportation system is at least a little more "unified" than it used to be - Massport has no real reason to do this as, let's face it, if you've got a flight, you're going to find a way to the airport regardless of whether this bus is there. It's not like this is going to increase passengers at the airport and make more money for Massport.
I believe they will cut
I believe they will cut across the South End like a Route 10 bus and get on the HOV lane near Albany St.
For somebody coming in from the western end of the B, C, D, or E lines, they can get off at Copley and transfer to the Massport bus. Will be faster than Green to Orange to Blue to shuttle and will probably less crowded than Green to Red to Silver.
Even better
I take the commuter rail from Back Bay to South Station (free) and then take the Silver line. MUCH easier when traveling with luggage.
Wait, what?
The commuter rail is free from Back Bay to South Station? Google says it was free for a few months in 2006 but nothing about recently. If so it's not well publicized because if I'd know I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT REGULARLY FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
"free"
Meaning "zone 1A pass" free, I bet.
No Time For Fare Collection
There's not much time to collect fares between Back Bay and South Station, so they probably don't even bother to try.
Sometimes, even when I ride from Lynn to Beverly, the conductor doesn't come by to collect fares. I would never deliberately evade paying, but it's not up to passengers to seek out the conductors either. If the train arrives at your destination before you've been asked to pay, what else can you do?
"Free" if you're lucky
In my experience when I worked in Back Bay but lived off of the Red Line, it's "free" sometimes when they don't have the time (or interest) to check for a ticket during the few minutes between Back Bay and S station.
Inbound only
I believe it is officially free Inbound only, from Back Bay to South Station. For that matter, it doesn't make much sense for the conductor to try to collect fares in that direction, anyway.
Charles is correct
I asked at the ticket window at Back Bay and there is no charge on the Commuter Rail inbound from Back Bay to South Station but there is a charge in the opposite direction. For how long? "A long time", says the ticket clerk, "it's a tourist thing". What's the likelihood that any tourists know about it if someone who has lived just blocks from Back Bay Station for years and makes the trip to South Station regularly doesn't?
South Station to Back Bay is defacto free
By the time the train pulls out of South Station, they close all the doors, and start checking tickets, it's time to open the doors again as they pull in to Back Bay. The likelihood of having your ticket checked is low. That said, you should always be prepared to be asked for payment, and not try to weasel out of it if you do get checked.
Every time I've taken an
Every time I've taken an outbound from South Station they've gotten my ticket by Back Bay. One recent time on a Kingston train the conductor even came by collecting fares 5 minutes before departure.
I do the inbound trip from Ruggles to South Station regularly though, and can confirm there is no inbound fare collection from Ruggles either.
Pass
Will there be CharlieCard readers on the buses to confirm whether a card has a current pass?
"Free" with MBTA pass
So these buses will be MBTA buses with Charlie Card readers? or MassPort buses retrofitted with them? or will they simply glance at a card and just assume it has a pass?
And where will non-pass
And where will non-pass holders buy a ticket? Will the buses have credit card readers too? Poor reporting in the linked piece regarding the fare.
YES!! Brighton to Logan by T
YES!! Brighton to Logan by T takes longer than it does to drive from Worcester to Logan.
Wut?
I find it offensive, but can't figure out why, yet. But, something to do with a dual-class system we are building.
Yes, I'm being serious.
Take a cab or take the T -
Or how about that DMU rail that is supposed to be up and running this year?
Better Mass Transit For A Select Few
I agree. It's a public agency spending money, but catering to just a few select passengers going to a couple of select destinations. Massport is a separate agency from the MBTA with it's own bloated, patronage-laden bureaucracy, but they are both supposed to be serving the public.
Mass transit should be for everyone. Rather than fixing problems inside the Ⓣ and establishing a stable funding source for maintenance and expansion, gimmicks like this are en easy way to get publicity by providing "better than MBTA service", for a cherry-picked audience. It makes it less likely to get needed improvements on the overall mass transit system.
Consider this
They will get enough tourists at $5 a ride to run a profit.
$5 is a real deal compared to a ripoff cab ride, but an expensive bus ride.
MBTA Express Busses Cost $4.50 to $6.50
The fare for an MBTA Inner Express bus is $4.50, and the Outer Express bus fare is $6.50, so the Massport fare isn't expensive at all. You can't be serious about turning a profit, can you? Remember, this is Massport we're talking about!
MassPort Profit
Uhm, MassPort DOES profit. IIRC, it's the only state agency capable of at least breaking even.
Those airport landing fees and container/cruise ship docking fees get raked in all day long.
EDIT: " It is a financially self-sustaining public authority whose transportation facilities generate more than $8 billion annually; no state tax dollars are used to fund operations or capital improvements at Massport facilities." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Port_Authority
As someone who worked at
As someone who worked at Massport I can tell; you many of the fees at Logan related to the airlines (landing fees, some rent agreements) are cost recovery only. Each year the rate is set based on projected costs for the year, capital improvements and the difference between costs for the prior year versus revenue collected.
Is it just straight to Logan
Is it just straight to Logan after stopping once/twice? Looks like I'm gonna take a free ride to the airport for funsies one day.