Staying out all night just got easier in a town notorious for closing at 2 a.m. Lawmakers announced yesterday at a City Hall rally that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will extend bus service to 2:30 a.m.
“No more lip service; we want T service,” said Councilor Paul Scapicchio (North End, East Boston).
Councilor Mike Ross (Back Bay, Fenway), who represents most of Boston University, said extended T service is not just a student issue.
“[If] you think this is just about the people leaving the bars, it’s not. There’s a lot more need out there. This is an issue that doesn’t affect one segment of the population: it affects us all,” he said.
State Senate Transportation Chairman Robert Havern endorsed the program.
“Once, just once, it would be nice for public transportation to serve the public,” Havern said.
The extended service to 2:30 a.m. will begin on Fridays and Saturdays in September when the MBTA launches a year-long pilot program designed to test the feasibility of all-night bus service.
Subway and trolley service will not be extended because, according to MBTA Chief Operating Officer Anne Herzenberg, T crews need time to maintain the tracks. Instead, 10 new bus routes will run along the Red, Green, Blue and Orange Lines.
Speaking at the rally, College of Arts and Sciences junior Amy Reynolds emphasized the importance of public transportation to Boston’s student community.
“We need the T to enjoy the city, to go out at night, because that’s what we do at our age,” she said, noting that many college students use the T to get to jobs. “We work, too.”
During the rally, Mayor Thomas Menino criticized the MBTA’s plan for doing little to help those who work late on weekdays. The plan, he said, was “tokenism” and “a Band-Aid approach.”
“Sure, it’s great for the hospitality industry, but what about those people who work the second and third shift? That’s why we’re here. … It behooves the state government to service the people who pay their fees,” Menino said.
State Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Boston) also was not an enthusiastic supporter.
“I want to say that I’m not crazy about this pilot program. … You don’t help the baker, you don’t help the postal worker, you don’t help the railway worker. Most importantly, you don’t help the hospital worker,” Tolman said at a hearing following the rally.
Several questions with the MBTA’s plan were raised during the hearing. Jim Lyden, who heads the T drivers’ union, argued that the extended service routes run through neighborhoods where “everyone’s in bed by one.” The remark prompted Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty to accuse the MBTA of insufficient planning.
Community activist Robert Terrell said the lack of extended cross-town routes would also be a problem.
“What good does it do to have someone get to Forest Hills station, and you’re stranded?” he said.
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