BU students mixed about T extension

As far as College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Nina Iyengar is concerned, the T schedule can make or break a Saturday night.

“You have to decide if you like the party enough to stay or leave by 12:15 a.m. so that you can make the last T home,” she said.

And thus, for Iyengar and other Boston University students seeking longer nights and later curfews, Tuesday’s announcement that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will extend public transport service until 2:30 a.m. on weekends comes as a more than welcome change.

“If I go to a show off campus and it gets out late, the T’s are usually closed. Cabs are expensive but usually your only option,” said College of Communication sophomore Jarred Buck.

Buck’s story is common among students who enjoy attending off campus events, but hate the expensive cab ride home. The MBTA’s plan will help to alleviate some of the need to hail a late-night cab by offering bus service from stops along the Red, Green, Blue and Orange Lines on Friday and Saturday nights until 2:30 a.m. beginning in September.

T service Sunday through Thursday will remain the same, with the night’s last cars beginning their final cycle at 12:30 a.m. The extended service will last for one year, lawmakers said, a period during which they will evaluate the merits of all-night service.

For many car-less BU students, the T is the main source of transportation, especially convenient with the Green Line splitting the Charles River Campus. Buses also traverse Commonwealth Avenue frequently, however some students are unfamiliar with Boston’s bus service.

Cristinia Goyanes, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, is one of those who is mystified by the buses and skeptical of the later service.

“I’ve always wanted to use the bus. I’ve heard it’s cheaper, faster and less crowded,” she said. “I don’t even know the routes, though, or how to use it.”

While the change panders to students attending clubs, concerts, parties and movies — events where closing time hovers near 2 a.m. — Mayor Thomas Menino is among those who say the MBTA is doing little to help people who work late into weeknights.

Calling the latest measure a “Band-Aid approach,” Menino urged the MBTA to adopt an all-night service policy.

“Other people have jobs that end late,” agreed Adam Wieser, a College of Communication sophomore. “They have to have some way to get home.”

Other students agreed, reasoning that students are out past 12:30 on weeknights in addition to weekends. College of Engineering sophomore T.J. Baradari said the bus service should run every night, saying, “There is stuff going on every night. Everyone has different schedules.”

Cabs do remain a viable option, however, when the T is long shut down. In a large group, however, taking a cab can be difficult. For Susan Mees, a freshman in the College of Arts and Science, the extended bus service might be a better alternative to walking or taking a cab.

“There are some scary cab drivers out there,” she said.

“I feel safer taking a bus. It is better than walking, but the cab is best — it takes me to my door,” added Goyanes.

And for those left in a transportation jam, walking is not always the warmest or safest option, but may be a last resort for some students. At least until the MBTA decides whether or not all-night service is feasible.

“Maybe the service shouldn’t be as frequent,” Buck said. “But sporadic service is better than nothing, especially when you don’t have money for a cab.”