Around Town

MBTA Holding Meeting on Bus Network Redesign, Breakout for Watertown Area

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA 71 bus. The following information was provided by the MBTA:

Due to overwhelming interest in the November 2 Bus Network Redesign meeting, we will be holding a subsequent meeting to accommodate those who were not able to attend. The additional public meeting will be Monday, November 14 at 6:00 PM. 

We encourage attendees to view the November 2 recordings in advance of the meeting as the breakout room presentations will be shortened to allow for more time for questions. You can view the main presentation here. Breakout room recordings are also available for the following regions:

Breakout 1: Beverly, Chelsea, Danvers, East Boston, Everett, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marblehead, Melrose, Nahant, Peabody, Reading, Revere, Salem, Saugus, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wakefield, Winthrop

Breakout 2: Arlington, Bedford, Burlington, Cambridge, Lexington, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, Woburn

Breakout 3: Boston, Brookline

Breakout 4: Belmont, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown

Breakout 5: Avon, Braintree, Brockton, Canton, Dedham, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Milton, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Walpole, Westwood, Weymouth

The meeting will be held online, via Zoom.

70 Bus

Some MBTA Buses Running Less Often Starting Aug. 28, Long Term Planning Survey

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Charlie BreitroseBuses in Watertown including the 71 bus will run less frequently starting the fall of 2022. Changes to the MBTA schedule and service will begin on Aug. 28, and some routes in Watertown will be impacted. Three bus routes in Watertown — the 70, 71, and 73 buses — will run less often. The changes will impact the 70 (which runs from Waltham to Central Square/University Park in Cambridge via Main Street and Arsenal Street) on weekdays.

Around Town

MBTA Hosting In-Person & Virtual Meeting on Bus System Redesign

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Charlie BreitroseBuses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. The following information was provided by MassDOT:

Bus Network Redesign’s proposed bus network map is now available for your review at MBTA.com/BNRD. This proposal for bus service will create a more equitable network with more frequent service, better connections, and more all-day service every day. You can view the full proposal here.

Transportation

Changes to MBTA Bus Service to be Discussed at Virtual Meeting

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Charlie BreitroseBuses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The MBTA and MassDOT will host a virtual public meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, October 27, at 6 p.m. to discuss the Bus Network Redesign Project. An initiative of the Better Bus Project, the MBTA and MassDOT’s Bus Network Redesign Project is taking a look at the bus system as a whole in order to recommend a new network that better serves the needs of the region. The project’s second public meeting will present the approach and principles used by MassDOT and the MBTA to propose a transformed bus network through the Bus Network Redesign process.

Around Town

MBTA Hosting Virtual Open House, Seeks Input to Improve Bus Service

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA sent out the following announcement:

As a reminder, please join us at the Better Bus Project Virtual Open House this Thursday, August 26, at 6:00PM. The Better Bus Project hopes to improve the bus experience for riders in the near future and over the next several years. Short presentations will be given by project teams from across the MBTA, including the following:  

Bus Transit PriorityBus Network Redesign Bus Stop Accessibility Improvements Bus Operations Silver Line ExtensionBus Electrification and Facility Modernization Bus Stop E-Ink Signs

Afterwards participants can expect to join a breakout room of their choosing to learn more about an initiative. Here attendants can engage with the project team further by asking questions or participating in a discussion. We are excited to share our knowledge and enthusiasm about these initiatives with you!

Buses

MBTA Seeks Input with Online Bus Network Redesign Travel Survey

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Charlie BreitroseMBTA Bus. The following information was provided by the MBTA:

Share Your Input with the Bus Network Redesign Travel Survey! 

We’d like to announce a new survey that will help us better understand what you need from the bus network. We want to create a better and more equitable bus network—to do that, we need your input: 

Does the MBTA take you where you need or want to go? When you need to get somewhere, is riding the MBTA a good option for you? 

You can provide your input into the future of the MBTA bus network by taking our survey at mbta.com/bnrdsurvey. To use the interactive features, please use a desktop or laptop computer. 

This survey has some features that may not be accessible to those using assistive technology, mobile devices, or tablets. A text-based version is available here. You can also call 1-857-366-1871 to take the survey over the phone.  

Buses

MBTA Holding Virtual Meeting on Redesigning Bus Network

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA announced it will host a meeting about its Better Bus Project, which will redesign its bus network. MBTA officials sent out the following announcement:

Virtual Public Meeting on June 8th  

We’d like to remind you of the Bus Network Redesign virtual public meeting on Tuesday, June 8 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

What will I learn at the meeting and how can I contribute?  

At this meeting, we will be presenting an overview of the Bus Network Redesign and what we have found so far.  Following a presentation, the team will be available to take feedback and answer questions.   

The meeting will be held online, via Zoom. To pre-register, please click this link:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsd-mvqjIiGNw-dx6bbtLcxMYYNGKrLG0w  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Upon joining you will be prompted to share your first name, last name, and email address.

Transportation

MBTA Holding Virtual Public Meetings on Changes to Purchase Fares

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An MBTA bus in Watertown. The following announcement was provided by the MBTA and MassDOT:

Three virtual public meetings are being held this month regarding the MBTA’s Fare Transformation program and upgrades to its sales network. In the future, riders will be able to purchase MBTA fares and passes online, via their smartphones, and with contactless credit/debit cards. Though customers will no longer be able to use cash to pay onboard vehicles once the new fare collection system is implemented by 2023, the MBTA is currently introducing more places to load cash onto CharlieCards than were previously available. Aimed at serving cash-dependent riders, this expansion will result in a larger, more robust, and more diverse sales network of retailers, in-station fare vending machines, and new streetscape fare vending machines at bus stops, Commuter Rail, Green Line, and Mattapan Line stations across the network.