Measuring the Bunch in Smoots

Bus riders who get on or off at the end of a line have seen the driver reach over for a little keypad to log their time of arrival or departure on the route – where they are for the duration at each stop is beyond the MBTA measurements. The Globe reported this weekend about "bus bunching" on the #1 bus route which takes passengers from Harvard to Dudley, and anywhere in between, down Mass Ave. A couple of routes on the MBTA system carry a heavy passenger load and run with great frequency – the #1 and the #66 routes fit that description – what follows is also a large number of complaints that the buses aren't running on schedule. Passengers observe a phenomenon unique to the frequently traveled bus routes: bus bunching. You'll see two buses coming your way, sometimes playing leapfrog along a road, then none…for a while. While the buses may have left the gates on time they've become subject to bunching due to a number of factors. We notice the time ticking away on the bus sitting at red lights, waiting for traffic, and watching as some poor tourist tries to slip a $10 to Charlie for a ride.

Of course the buses are already equipped with GPS, a system only used on board to make announcements of the next stop – not to track the buses. A year and a half ago we expressed our jealousy for other cities that are privy to the Nextbus system tracking when you might expect the next coach to roll your way. Still, we're still standing in the breakdown lane looking down the street looking for the amber glow of the bus' display coming our way. The #1 route has been around for 40 years (this year is the anniversary). It was established when two lines were connected – one previously going from Harvard to Hynes and the other traversing Mass Ave Hynes to Dudley, the line now forms a single route along the 4.5 miles. Sometime around 20 years there was a mid-life crisis on the line that allowed passengers a free ride from the (then) new Mass Ave station on the Orange Line to the former Dudley Station location on the elevated line that ran along Washington. Charlie took that, and free guests on Sundays (yeah, we had to bring that up again), away from riders. We don't have a good solution for curing bus bunching – all we know is that if you're heading down Mass Ave from Cambridge or Dudley and the Sox game is about to start it's best to get off at MIT or Symphony and walk the rest of the way to the ballpark – you'll get there quicker than the #1. Ticking off the Smoots across the Harvard Bridge is more satisfying on foot than stop and go traffic anyhow. Oh, and if anyone can tell us how late the #1 bus really runs we'd really appreciate the knowledge. According to MBTA.com the last bus arrives at the end of the line around 1:30am on the weekend – but we swear they've passed us as late as 2am – but then again maybe our time was skewed after a little too long spent at the Pour House.
Image of a #1 Bus from Flickr user Dan4th