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stickmaster_flex t1_jab66xu wrote

I would love to take the commuter rail and the T. But the commuter rail is more expensive than driving my car and parking. And the T is a fucking shit show. The best case scenario of taking public transit for me (and I am lucky enough to live near the commuter rail) is 90 minutes, and involves three trains, because for some fucking reason there is no direct bus from North Station to Kendall fucking Square.

I pay about half the cost of a monthly commuter rail pass to park at my building, and I drive an EV and can charge at my office for free, and even when traffic is fucking awful it takes me less time. I also carpool, so my cost for parking is halved.

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CriticalTransit t1_jabj74q wrote

There is a bus called EZ Ride that goes from North Station to Kendall and Cambridgeport. If you don’t get it paid by your employer it’s only $1.

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stickmaster_flex t1_jacyb7h wrote

It's bullshit to pay hundreds of dollars a month for a commuter rail pass and have the only viable option from North Station to Kendall be a fucking private bus line.

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CriticalTransit t1_jae5ehw wrote

Sure, we should subsidize transit more and it should be better. But in this case you can’t say “I wish I could use transit if only something like the EZ Ride existed” when in fact it does exist and you’re still driving.

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stickmaster_flex t1_jaeb4yv wrote

I'm driving because it's costing me less than half of what I'd pay to take the commuter rail, and public transit is beyond unreliable. I commuted via public transit for 12 years, including eight years after I moved to the suburbs. EZ-Ride is $2 per trip (though it's temporarily free according to their web site). An extra $80+ per month is not a small amount on top of ~$300 for a commuter rail pass.

I'd still be taking the train if it wasn't so much cheaper and faster to drive.

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joeybaby106 t1_jacb1xz wrote

Consider blue bikes as well, though tough in bad weather

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stickmaster_flex t1_jacy48k wrote

I used to bike from Union Square to Kendall Square, my wife made me stop after the third time I almost died from people running red lights. I've got kids, I'm not brave enough to bike in the city.

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