GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES MBTA LATE NIGHT SERVICE START DATE

CAMBRIDGE – Governor Deval Patrick today joined Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, MassDOT Secretary & CEO Richard A. Davey and MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott, alongside business leaders and residents, to announce the start date for the MBTA Late Night Pilot Program. Beginning the night of Friday, March 28, 2014, the MBTA will run service 90 minutes longer on all subway and Key Bus Routes on Friday and Saturday nights. This expanded service will allow Boston to continue to compete among other world class cities that offer late night public transportation and make Boston an even more desirable place to live, work and play.

“Late night T service is the result of listening to our citizens and trying to respond to their needs,” said Governor Patrick. “World class cities offer late night public transit, to support the workforce and a vibrant nightlife, and Boston is a world class city.”

Late night service will operate as it does during the day, serving customers at the same stations and stops. All new trips will be scheduled and will appear on Google, phone apps and the MBTA website. The last Red, Orange, Blue and Green Line trains will depart downtown stations at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and approximately 1:00 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights. Extended late night service will operate approximately every 15-20 minutes in most cases, with more frequent service in the core of the system. Individual schedules for each station and route can vary, and customers are strongly encouraged to look at schedules before traveling. Regular rapid transit and bus fares will be charged on late night services.

"My administration is committed to creating the kind of safe and vibrant late-night culture that's expected of a world-class city," said Mayor Walsh. "Transportation is a critical element to making that vision a reality. I applaud Governor Patrick, Secretary Davey and Dr. Scott for their work to bring back late night service for the visitors and residents of Boston."

Late night service will also allow Boston employers to be better suited for recruiting in the technology sector in places like the Innovation District or Kendall Square, with the hope to attract and maintain top talent looking to not only build their careers, but enjoy the social lives they’ve built here as well. Likewise, service industry workers, the backbone of Greater Boston’s social economy who were previously unable to utilize the MBTA for their commute, will now be able to get home more affordably and, in turn, better improve their own lives and the lives of their families. And, as the top destination for academia in the country, Boston and its neighbors will keep attracting young people and young professionals to the many cultural and nighttime attractions the city provides, with a safer, less expensive way to get home.

“We’ve heard our customers’ message loud and clear – they want more service, not less,” said Secretary Davey. “This pilot program is just one way we’re responding to that call and we’re so excited to see how the extended service improves the quality of life and economic vibrancy of the region.”

To help cover the cost of the additional service, the MBTA has launched a sponsorship program and has partnered with leading businesses from the Greater Boston area. The Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, Dunkin’ Donuts, Suffolk Construction and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association have signed on as the first sponsors of the late night service pilot program.

The Future Boston Alliance (FBA) is launching a grassroots crowd-funding effort to support service as well. FBA will seed the effort with $5,000 and has set a goal of raising an additional $20,000 from residents and riders of the system through crowdsourcing efforts. For more information or to contribute visit: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/boston-and-late-nite-t-service-lets-do-it

In total, sponsors are contributing over $1.5 million in support to help cover the estimated $16 million cost of late night service.

“Our customers are always asking for more service, and I am happy that we are able to bring extended weekend hours to them beginning on March 28,” said MBTA GM Scott. “From students to entrepreneurs to service employees, late night service will allow a wide cross-section of our vibrant population to better travel home from both work and play.”

Real-time information for buses will also be available for the extended late night service.