Crowding on a Silver Line bus not what you want to see in a pandemic

If I understand correctly, the MBTA was supposed to return the bus routes from the "emergency" Saturday schedule to the regular 2020 FY schedule in Phase 3, but the MBTA has not said when that schedule will return.

I can understand if there is little demand on certain routes, or the Saturday schedule works out better than the weekday schedule, but as rapid transit and commuter rail has been brought back to normal, why haven't the buses followed suit? (Exception: the key bus routes, which now have an increased schedule back to normal.)

- Does the MBTA fear that there won't be enough buses or drivers to space out people? The MBTA is receiving new buses and retiring older ones; wouldn't it be prudent to use the older buses for extra space?

- Does the MBTA fear that an increased schedule will lull people into a false sense of security? It shouldn't - an increased schedule would put passengers at ease at it will be much safer and there will be more space.

If restoring the regular bus schedule is being held until Phase 3, Step 2, or even Phase 4, the MBTA and the Governor should say so! Riders who don't want to ride perpetually crowded buses see right through the "we'll have the bus supervisors figure it out" excuse.

I used the Silver Line through the Seaport daily for several years, but I am trying to avoid it as much as possible now.

I am not sure if headways have been modified on SL1, SL2 and SL3, but it sure feels like it, as 10 minute waits in the South Boston Waterfront Transitway seems to be normal for ANY bus inbound, at least at the times I take it.

The SL3 is always crowded, and more trips need to be added. Last night at 11pm, a half-dozen people were waiting for SL3 at South Station, and more than a dozen at Courtyard Station.

I don't think they are even running the short-turn SLW right now.

With street running coming this fall for Transitway work (and it needs a bunch for being less than 20 years old), there's even more reason for me to avoid it.

But hey, we've only been waiting 10+ years for the outbound countdown clocks. I wish it would just be converted to light rail, as soon as possible.

the MBTA Petri Dish..

this whole thing about aerosols lately makes me think MBTA vehicles are a petridish pretty much.

And the mask requirement, they won't enforce.

I just love sitting next to someone coughing up a lung with no mask on and there's little I can do it about it except take matters into my own hands.

(yes this happened)

SL3 starts in Chelsea, 111 starts in Chelsea, 116/117 cuts through Chelsea... All these lines are crowded no matter what you do. They are filled with essential workers and front line workers who can't work from home. They are crowded during a pandemic, during snow, early in the morning, late at night. Plain and simple they should never be cut or reduced, especially if you want people staying apart.

This city should have a subway but it doesn't so we use what we have. If the state wants to save money by cutting down buses they should look elsewhere. I've been watching the crowds waiting for mass transit around here and demand never really slowed down.