Better Transit without Trolleys

In 2001, Better Transit Without Trolleys recommended several improvements to the 39 bus service. This is a status report of those recommendations:

1. Better Information

• Every stop should have a name, a route map, hours and frequency of service, and a system map. The T posted signs with route numbers on all stops, and panels with schedules on most stops, around 2002.
• Put strip maps inside the vehicles showing stop names. These were deployed in February 2008.
• Provide automatic stop announcements (voice and variable message display). These were installed with the new fleet of articulated buses deployed in 2003-2004.
• Every stop should have a name. The PA system and in-vehicle maps give names to each stop (although some are addresses), but only the 16 stops with shelters have names on the wayside.

• Put JP’s line back on the system “spider” map. BTWT is still advocating this.

2. Better Pricing

• Permanent policy of transfers, with payment of the difference between bus and subway fare (currently $0.25), between route 39 and the Green Line and Orange Line. This would facilitate transfers at Forest Hills and at any stop served by both bus 39 and the E-branch. This policy was adopted systemwide, at least for those with CharlieCards. However, the only fare vending machines on the 39 route are at the ends (Forest Hills and Back Bay). We would like to see more machines installed.

• Introduce “proof of payment” fare collection. In this system used on all new light rail lines in the US, all doors can be used for boarding. Instead of paying at the farebox, riders must be able to show proof of payment (such as a transfer receipt or a pass) to inspectors who periodically board the vehicle. The T has introduced a very limited version of this policy, “Show and Go,” on some portions of the Green Line at some times. We would like to see it considered for bus routes.

3. Faster Travel

• Reduce the number of stops from the current 33 inbound and 31 outbound stops to 20 in each direction (from Forest Hills to Back Bay). This would amount to more stops than what is proposed for trolley service. Each stop would have more amenities and would be safer due to more people waiting. A side benefit is an increase in the number of on-street parking spaces. In February 2008, the MBTA and EOT announced the pending creation of an advisory committee to plan for improvements on Route 39, particularly on the issue of stop consolidations. The number of official stops over the round trip has increased to 72 over the past few years.

• Shorten the inbound route by turning left from Huntington Avenue on Ring Street or Dartmouth Street instead of Belvedere Street. This will be on the agenda of the Advisory Committee.

Stops should be clearly marked on the roadway to deter illegal parking.

• Adopt a $100 fine for blocking a transit stop. In 2003 the City of Boston increased fines for parking in bus stops to $55.
• Add curbside loading zones to prevent delivery vehicles from double parking. Huntington Avenue just beyond South Huntington is one area with chronic congestion due to delivery vehicles. This might be on the agenda of the Advisory Committee.
• Adopt a “yield to bus” law giving buses signaling intent to pull out of a bus stop the right of way. Until this is adopted, put signs on the back of buses saying, “Please let this bus pull out of a stop if the left signal light is flashing.” A yield-to-bus law was introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature in January 2007. See House 3602 (pdf)
• Install a signal priority system which allows late buses to get a green light more often. This was studied in 2007 by the Central Transportation Planning Staff under contract to the EOT; the results have not yet been made public.

4. Less Waiting

• Reduce bunching by making sure there is adequate recovery time in the schedule and by adopting a headway maintenance policy, that is, a set of procedures to insure that buses are evenly spaced. This can consist of intermediate time points, holding, expressing, and or short-turning. Studies by BTWT in 2003 revealed that the bunching problem begins at the terminal — buses leave bunched because there is not enough time in the schedule to start the next trip on time, so they just leave as soon as possible, even if another bus has just left. A T representative essentially confirmed that there was insufficent time and said that the schedules would be adjusted for the rating period beginning at the end of March, 2008.
• Install Automatic Vehicle Location equipment using GPS to assist dispatchers in managing the route. The equipment came with the new (60-foot) buses, but has not yet been placed in service, pending a radio system upgrade and the development of necessary hardware and software at the Bus Operations Control Center.
• Increase service if necessary after the anti-bunching policy is implemented. The scheduled frequency of service decreased somewhat after the larger buses were installed. We believe that problems with waiting time and crowding can be fixed by solving the bunching problem; additional scheduled service is probably not needed.

5. Convenient Service to Downtown

• There are several possible alternatives for improving service to downtown that should be studied. One option is to extend service to Downtown Crossing and Park Street via Boylston and Washington Street. The #39 can use the same loop now used for the Silver Line. It would be helpful to convert one of the double parking lanes on Boylston Street into a bus lane to facilitate this extension. Extending the route to downtown is not currently on the agenda, but could be part of a longer-range planning study that considers other alternatives, including some service to Brookline Village.
• Many JP riders seeking to go to downtown or beyond would be better off taking route 39 (today, and even if it is a trolley!) to Forest Hills and then speeding along the Orange Line to downtown. This is particularly true in the peak period when traffic on the streets is heaviest and the Orange Line runs most often. Since January 2007 CharlieCard holders can use the 39 to get to the Orange Line (e.g., at Forest Hills); this option will become more desirable as 39 service becomes more reliable.

6. Better Vehicles

• Use buses new buses equipped with emissions control devices and using ultra low sulfur fuel.
• Get a dedicated fleet of low-floor vehicles painted in special JP colors. Since 2004, all vehicles on the route have been low-floor and low-emission (CNG). We are still suggesting some special markings for the route, since the buses operating on this route do not serve any other route.
• Add bike racks to buses. Unfortunately, these were not spec’d in the new buses, nor were they added later. However, the MBTA has added bike racks to buses on other routes in recent years.
• Use extra-long, articulated buses if their additional capacity is still necessary to relieve crowding after the anti-bunching strategy is implemented. The new buses are 60-foot long, articulated vehicles; occasionally 40-foot buses are used on the route as well (especially for school trips).

Copley Square is the most heavily used outbound stop with fully 25% of all boardings. In 2001, the T added information about destination, hours of service, frequency. A few years later the above shelter was replaced with two handsome Wall USA shelters.

At Forest Hills, there has always been a fancy shelter, a stop name, and a system map. But that’s because this stop was designed for, but never used by, the streetcar. There’s still no schedule information. In 2007, the MBTA added a neighborhood map and a bus system map inside both Forest Hills and Back Bay stations.