Did T Problems Leave You in the Cold Wednesday Morning?
Share your comments on Wednesday's snarly commute.
On the coldest morning of the season so far, hundreds of Boston commuters were forced to wait outside for bus shuttles after two separate issues closed down portions of both the Green and Red MBTA lines.
Service had resumed by 11 a.m. on Wednesday, soon enough for the afternoon commuters, but not soon enough for those traveling in the morning.
So Patch wants to know: Were you left out in the cold this morning? How did the breakdowns affect your morning commute? What did you see, what was the mood (we can guess) and what alternate plans did you take? What do you think the MBTA should have done differently?
Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
Brett
11:42 am on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
the Green Line issue did not leave me in the cold today - however the general operating issues with the MBTA left me in the cold. As a MBTA bus user, it's baffling as to why on the coldest, snowiest, and rainiest days the service is so poor. They should by now realize supply and demand and know that on those days the demands are going to be greater. A few months ago I watched as 6 busses drive by me on a torrential rainy day, and today, while the temperatures were in the negatives early this morning, 2 (non-full) busses drove by on the MBTA #9 route in South Boston. I don't know when the MBTA will make changes and address these issues of supply and demand.
Matthew
1:35 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Brett,
The answer is simple: they just don't care. How many times have you tried to communicate with an operator and they are surly at best? If I had a dollar for every time I got my head bitten off my a bus or train driver when I dared to question them... Then they had the audacity to run an ad campaign on their buses and trains blaming the riders, telling us to be nice. And that isn't even the tip of the ice berg. The MTBA is drowning is crushing debt, and their only solution is to punish riders, many of whom are working class and depend on the T, by raising rates and cutting service. Like I said, they just don't care about us.
mike
2:25 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
i feel the T does the best they can. you pointed out that they have crushing debt, most of which was saddled on them by the big dig which had little to do with the MBTA. they operate the oldest subway in the US for a reasonable price. we've all had frustrations with front line T employees but i think the T in general puts service as a priority. it is a vast organization that moves millions of people every week on old infrastructure with a shoestring budget.... and i ride the 1 buss! i think they care.
Plenty O'Toole
2:29 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
^^^Brought to you by The Carmans Union!^^^^
mike
3:48 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
i don't know what a carmans union is. i work in a cubicle in cambridge. i checked the train status before i left and saw the red line had a disabled train, and there was a fire on the green line. so i took the 1 bus... know before you go right?
Matthew
3:06 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
I disagree. The MBTA doesn't get to say, "We're doing the best we can." Perhaps I'm judging harshly, but operators need to treat T customers with the utmost respect and make them feel welcome or be taken to task for it. While the it's ridiculous that the colosal fiasco that was/is the Big Dig for dumped on the MBTA financially, what's done is done. People depend on the T. It's up to the MBTA brass to pull their heads out of their rears and realize that few people think they're doing a good job.
Kim
3:02 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I walked from Kenmore to my office, in the south end...a lovely 2 mile, 40 min walk in 8 degree weather. The human pileup at the top of the still-running Kenmore escalator where commuters waited for the too-full shuttle buses wasn't too reassuring. I tried to get a cab, but I couldn't find a free one, even when I tried to share with other commuters. So I showed up 20 min late to work (glad I left extra time!!) shivering and sweating at the same time. My day started off great...how about yours?
Matthew
3:09 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
You survived and got some exercise to boot. I walk over three miles round trip from Charlestown to work every day, rain or shine, hot or frigidly cold. I have a car and could take the bus, but getting the exercise in is more important to me. In fact, when it was single digets the other morning, I still walked home after the night shift.
Just a person!
6:37 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Really can't be as bad as waiting EVERY single afternoon trying to get out of Charlestown by the way of the New Boulivard...... Oh I'm sorry my mistake it's still Rutherford. Ave. but when it becomes the Boulivard it won't be any better, maybe worse.
Thank you ...again CNC