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BOSTON—Massport will continue offering free rides on Silver Line buses through the end of September.
The collaboration between Massport and the MBTA runs between Logan International Airport and Boston's South Station terminal, a key hub for commuter rail and the MBTA's Red Line.
The agencies began the pilot program on June 6. It was scheduled to end on Sept. 3, but officials said Thursday that it would be extended through the end of the month to collect more data and determine whether the free program has improved service and helped ridership to grow faster than normal.
Massport said preliminary observations show the buses have spent on average about 20 seconds less at each stop at the airport since the free rides began

Out of my Element

IIRC, at South Station, the Silver Line is already "past" the faregates, so you should be able to transfer for free to the Red Line, and from there to any other line (Green, Blue, Orange) in the Rapid Transit system, right?

fairviewroad

Good point. I guess otherwise, critics would rightfully point out that the largesse was useless unless one was heading to South Station, because you would simply be delaying your point of payment.

Dm84

Correct, this is a free entrance into the subway system.

What I fail to understand is why they think that saving people $1.70 or $2 is really going to change people's behavior. I would imagine most people already take the T to the airport if it's more convenient for them. For people who live in the suburbs, this doesn't really change anything.

Out of my Element

I think this might encourage some folks who live along the outer edges of the rapid transit lines (Braintree, Somerville, Malden, etc) to take the T when they might otherwise not do so, but you're right, it's not that much of a savings.

What will happen is that even with bigger crowds, the trips should be faster as you avoid the sometimes lengthy delay associated with the boarding/paying process. Now you will be able to get on at either door and get going more quickly


Editted to add:

Had some time to think about this, and now I think this is more for tourists and other travelers arriving into Boston, and not for local residents, as it will encourage visitors to take the T instead of a cab, and will teach them (in theory) how easy it is to take the MBTA.

Cabbies can't be happy about this.

lo2e

I'm also not sure I understand Massport's motivation behind footing the bill for this... The press release says it's to help drop traffic in the garage and curbside, but if they're not getting as much money from parking AND they're paying the MBTA for this service, isn't that going to be a noticeable drop in their revenue?

Dm84

Massport knows that anyone who values their time and doesn't live in an area easily accessible by the T will continue to drive and park, so the whole concept is a gimmick. Massport also has no qualms about jacking the parking rates even higher if parking revenue declines.

What I find particularly ridiculous about this is it doesn't include free rides on the Blue Line, which is probably more convenient for most people leaving the airport.

Edit: My guess is Massport realized Silver Line ridership numbers were a disappointment in general, so they figured this would be the best way to fill the buses up on the return trip to South Station.

tkey75

Yeah, the busses can be empty, but when they're not, it's not fun at all.

Yahtzee

This combined with what's supposed to be a how-minutes-until-bus-arrives alert system makes me somewhat more likely to use it. I take it to the airport about 30% of the time but usually just want to get home after arrival. This is one small chit in favor of the Silver Line.

Analise

So will the Massport wonks raise the taxi fares to pay for the free Silver Line?

Nugget_Oz

If it's only Silver Line then the place where you will probably see the most change is on the Blue Line. Still flying into and out of Logan is a pain most of the time and now that it's majority JetBlue. If one of the legacies ramped up PVD, MHR or even BDL that would be great.

fairviewroad

I don't know that it's more convenient. Either way you are getting on a shuttle bus to a rapid transit station. The shuttle to the Blue Line station is a shorter trip, but depending on where your final destination is, the Silver Line can be just as fast.

The problem with making the Blue Line free to riders boarding at the airport station is that the Blue Line station is closer to a residential area and the MBTA would risk losing out in tons of cash from daily commuters who use the stop. You could get around this by issuing a free transfer to people getting off the airport shuttle bus, but that seems like a system bound for problems. With the Silver Line, presumably the daily users to/from the airport are airport employees and they probably get monthly passes anyhow, since their commute to the airport is not free.

And let's not forget this is a 90-day trial, so the lost parking revenue isn't going to be that big of a deal.

Blumie

I don't understand this statement at all. I find Logan to be one of the most convenient airports in the world. It's not fancy. Interline connections are a pain. But it's easily navigated, a stone's throw from downtown, and getting back and forth is fast and easy (albeit far more expensive than it should be if traveling by taxi). Hard to beat that.

Dm84

It's true that it can be difficult for someone trying to drive to Logan from I-93 during rush hour. That being said, it's still much easier than trying to drive to JFK from Manhattan. Logan is also much easier to get to by mass transit than most airports I've been to (assuming you live near the subway).

The only truly inconvenient thing about Logan is if you have a flight that leaves before 6:30 am and you don't have a car, you're generally forced to take a cab, which as you mentioned is expensive.

BostonFlyer1624

This is why the MBTA has a $300 million budget deficit.