Boston may be able to boast of being a center for higher education, science and technology, and even its parks. Its latest award might have some New Yorkers wailing.
New study by Luxury Vacation Home Rental platform Wander The ranked Boston As the best U.S. destination for travelers in terms of public transportation. Although we may grumble at the wait times on public transport, this is a great honor for travelers. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Wander, a travel website, gives the city high marks for its public transport system (also known as “T”) and notes that it has approximately 41 stations per 100,000 inhabitants.
New England’s biggest city scored highly for the variety of transportation options it offers: bus routes, commuter rail, paratransit, ferries and subway. The T’s Blue, Orange and Red subway lines average about 273,000 riders per day, while the Green Line Light Rail averages 90,700.
The T was opened in 1897. It is older than New York by seven years. Still, New York City’s MTA—with 665 miles of track, per the Metropolitan Transportation Authority—is by far the largest network in the U.S.
Wander’s Top Five were Portland, OregonPhiladelphia, Baltimore and Seattle. New York City Wander, who was not available for comment when the article was published, did not even make the top 10.
The T is often the quickest and cheapest way for visitors to get into Boston. Massport operates a free shuttle Between Boston Logan International Airport’s (BOS) terminals, and the MBTA Airport Blue Line Station. Travelers can pay for the $2.40 one-ride fares using a CharlieTicket or CharlieCard. The Blue Line is connected to the Orange Line via State Street and to the Green Line via Government Center. This allows riders to reach top attractions, such as the Freedom Trail, neighborhoods, like Back Bay and Beacon Hill or colleges, like Boston University and Boston College.
The Blue Line will also help you avoid traffic jams in the airport tunnels. The Silver Line’s SL1 Bus connects all terminals with South Station, Boston’s main rail hub, which offers Amtrak and Red Line connections for South Boston, Harvard, MIT and Cambridge.
While New York might be the city and subway system that never sleeps, you should know Boston very much cherishes its beauty sleep—including for its infrastructure. The trains usually run from about 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. overnight, leaving the daytime hours for maintenance.
Night owls could get a break in the fall. The T is piloting late-night service The trial will run for five weekends and include all eight bus routes, with all rides free after 9:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to save some money when out in the city.
