Late Night Service Discussion

I like the increased fare idea, it would likely help fend off the "too expensive" arguments. Green line generally serves the higher nightlife areas, so it's no surprise that it carried more than the trains. I really wish they'd cut train sizes down for this service (for heavy rail). It doesn't make sense to run 6 car trains all night when you could get away with 2 or 4. I think utilization will increase over time as well. "Build it and they will come" comes into play with things like this. It's good they're giving it a year, that's probably a good enough amount of time for people to get used to it and get comfortable enough to justify a big stink should they try to pull out after the trial is up. I'd like to see this survive, and I suspect it will (I just hope it's not wishful thinking).

Finch wrote:I had an interesting experience this past weekend wherein my friends and I stayed out later than the T normally runs, mistakenly thinking that late night service would be running. My fault; I forgot they pushed the date out a week. But we had attempted to confirm the schedule by checking out the Red Line schedule online, which lists the Friday last runs at 2:00AM or so. This was the wrong night anyway, as we were out on Saturday night. But in my quick glance I saw the "2:15AM" for Alewife, and thought I was golden. I hope there weren't any other dummies like me who got caught out in the cold.

But now I'm wondering. Why are the last Friday runs listed around 2:00AM for all lines right now? Did they put that up prematurely? Did the trains really run that late this past Friday (or other Fridays)?

They actually did run on Saturday the 22nd although the official start was the 28th. Kind of a secret dry run

Didn't someone post in this forum a few months back that they can't program the Charlie Card system to charge different rates for different times/day or something like that?

The MBTA has released initial ridership figures for the first weekend of late-night service:
http://www.wbur.org/2014/04/01/t-late-n ... ng-weekend" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BOSTON — More than 18,000 subway riders used new late-night service on the MBTA last weekend during the first two nights of the yearlong pilot program, the T announced Tuesday.

The MBTA recorded 18,372 entries into the subway system between 12:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. early Saturday and early Sunday. Fifty-nine percent of the people entering the T during those hours used a station in downtown Boston. More than 1,000 entries were recorded at six stations: Park, Harvard, Haymarket, Central, Kenmore and Downtown Crossing.

[...]

An MBTA spokesman said ridership numbers for above-ground Green Line service and bus lines will be released later in the week.

Rbts Stn wrote:Didn't someone post in this forum a few months back that they can't program the Charlie Card system to charge different rates for different times/day or something like that?

A lot of claims were made, but without any facts to back them up.

Rbts Stn wrote:Didn't someone post in this forum a few months back that they can't program the Charlie Card system to charge different rates for different times/day or something like that?

It's not true at all. The student Charlie Card back when they came out with it was only valid for half price until 8PM, and was not valid on weekends or holidays. During the "invalid" times, it would charge the card full adult fare. If the Charlie system could be programmed to recognize this, then it can be programmed to recognize all cards as a special type requiring special fares. As someone had pointed out before, the MBTA probably does not have access to the system to make such a change, and that the change would require the MBTA to pay Scheidt and Bachmann (the company that made the software) to implement a change.

good to hear!

deathtopumpkins wrote:The MBTA has released initial ridership figures for the first weekend of late-night service:
http://www.wbur.org/2014/04/01/t-late-n ... ng-weekend" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BOSTON — More than 18,000 subway riders used new late-night service on the MBTA last weekend during the first two nights of the yearlong pilot program, the T announced Tuesday.

The MBTA recorded 18,372 entries into the subway system between 12:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. early Saturday and early Sunday. Fifty-nine percent of the people entering the T during those hours used a station in downtown Boston. More than 1,000 entries were recorded at six stations: Park, Harvard, Haymarket, Central, Kenmore and Downtown Crossing.

[...]

An MBTA spokesman said ridership numbers for above-ground Green Line service and bus lines will be released later in the week.

So they made at least $32k on the heavy rail that weekend. Is that enough to cover operating costs for the added hours of service?

I don't know Boston fares, are you multiplying 18,372 entries into the subway system between 12:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. early Saturday and early Sunday by the price of 1 fare to get $32k? I'm glad then you said "at least". Some of those fares surely must have been people who otherwise would have driven both ways.
Of course I'm also not familiar with Boston's downtown parking, some of those people might have previously taken public transit to get to downtown, then got taxicabs to return home after the old shutdown time.

The regular fare is $2 with Card, $2.50 with Ticket, but I used my monthly pass and I think a good portion of riders have some sort of pass.

SM89 wrote:The regular fare is $2 with Card, $2.50 with Ticket, but I used my monthly pass and I think a good portion of riders have some sort of pass.

That's a good point right there. Added service doesn't guarantee added revenue due to the people in the monthly club.

A very large number of the late-night riders seem to be students (witness high Green and Red Line loads), who typically do not have monthlies if they live on campus.

How do you know what people have? You think students go from their dorms to class and back to their dorms? People who live, work, play, and study in the city with no other form of transportation don't get passes? Well someone should advise them, then.

CRail wrote:How do you know what people have? You think students go from their dorms to class and back to their dorms? People who live, work, play, and study in the city with no other form of transportation don't get passes? Well someone should advise them, then.

If they go into the city 10-15 times/month (round trips), they're better off with stored value than passes, no?

Rbts Stn wrote:

CRail wrote:How do you know what people have? You think students go from their dorms to class and back to their dorms? People who live, work, play, and study in the city with no other form of transportation don't get passes? Well someone should advise them, then.

If they go into the city 10-15 times/month (round trips), they're better off with stored value than passes, no?

It takes 35 trips on the subway to make a $70 monthly pass worthwhile. Except for students riding every day to a job or class - which, speaking as a student, is a relatively small number of my comrades - paying per ride is much more affordable. Except for BU and Harvard students living in Allston, most students at the large schools around here live close to campus.