Improving the commuter experience

Boston Area Bus Rapid Transit Pilots

The goal of the Boston Area Bus Rapid Transit (Boston BRT) initiative is to improve mobility in communities across the city. Our job? Lead technical advisor. We’ve helped develop and design the pilot programs and collected and analyzed data.

In Arlington, Watertown, and Cambridge, our Urban Places mobility team worked with existing roadway redesign projects to integrate elements that will speed buses, such as queue jump lanes, transit signal priority, and dedicated bus lanes. We’ve also led the design of the evaluation process, which includes both objective data such as dwell times, running times, and reliability as well as subjective data like how people on bikes perceive the bus-related improvements or how transit users view the service before and after changes.

In Everett, the team worked with the City to install temporary-level boarding platforms that speed the boarding process for foot traffic as well as those using wheelchairs, strollers, or other mobility devices. Plus, our “street team” support will survey, record, and analyze how these changes impact users.

We’ve also helped communities connect with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as necessary, provided feedback on the project’s robust marketing plan, and helped participating communities coordinate among one another.