Better Bus Project Public Meeting in Chelsea on August 22

The MBTA is hosting a public meeting regarding the MBTA's Better Bus Project on August 22, 2018, from 6 PM to 8:30 PM at Chelsea City Hall. The Better Bus Project is focused on making improvements to the existing bus network through operational changes and stakeholder partnerships. Throughout 2018 and 2019, improvements have the potential to positively impact the public who rides the bus in fifty communities nearly 450,000 times every weekday.

The MBTA’s Service Delivery Policy, adopted in January 2017, sets standards and goals for bus service delivery. The MBTA collected riders’ comments and feedback for over 2 years, which were integrated into the policy. The Better Bus Project is focused on closing the gap between current service delivery and the standards adopted. 

Since April, the MBTA has been collecting feedback and comments from all stakeholders, including bus riders and non-riders, for bus service delivered out of each of the ten bus garages. The bus network consists of 175 directly operated routes, 5 contracted bus routes, over 1,100 buses, and more than 1,500 bus operators.   

This year, the Better Bus Project is:

• Evaluating existing bus service
• Identifying bus service strengths, weaknesses, issues, and opportunities
• Identifying improvement opportunities, which may include service and operational changes, capital investments, and partnerships with municipalities
• Developing, evaluating, and vetting scenarios
• Implementing improvements throughout the bus network

“Our bus network—and more importantly, our bus customers—deserve our best efforts to improve service,” said MBTA General Manager Luis Manuel Ramírez. “By engaging with our customers, we hope to make enhancements to make bus service faster and more reliable.”

The Better Bus Project includes an extensive public engagement plan. The MBTA hosted 6 regional public meetings in May/June and met with riders at bus stops around the MBTA system to get their feedback about their experiences and suggestions for way to improve bus service. 

The first hour and a half of the Chelsea public meeting on August 22 will be structured as an open house where attendees can talk to project staff and provide feedback. A presentation with additional time for public comments will begin at 7:30 PM. The public is encouraged to attend to learn more and share their ideas. The MBTA is collecting public input on transit priorities and how best to improve bus service. View a meeting flyer for more information.

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