Back in July, pop-up bus service Bridj submitted an application to the City of Cambridge for a jitney license, much like it did with Boston. Unlike with the City of Boston, though, which pledged its full support for Bridj and awarded it a jitney license without any opposition, the City of Cambridge is attempting to curtail the routes Bridj hopes to utilize.
The memorandum, dated August 20, doesn’t deny Bridj the ability to operate, though it does levy certain restrictions. It’s important to note as well that, as was the case with Boston, a jitney license is more of a formality and an attempt for a municipality to regulate Bridj’s service, which isn’t specifically classified under city law. Bridj has obtained the necessary state licenses which grant them the ability to operate, and applying for the jitney license is a show of good faith and exemplification of Bridj’s willingness to cooperate and collaborate with the city.
It seems, though, that Cambridge isn’t interested in pursuing the same symbiotic partnership.
In fact, it seems that Cambridge doesn’t want Bridj operating near, or infringing upon, transit areas heavily dominated by taxi cabs and public transportation.
Bridj submitted proposals for a number of Cambridge-centric bus routes and several of them were deemed “not acceptable” by the Cambridge Licensing Commission which often receives recommendations from the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department.
Further, the memorandum notes that Bridj may temporarily stop at bus stops for loading and unloading passengers assuming they won’t interfere with any busses looking to stop there, except for, to name a few of the more notable:
- Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square
- Central Square stops between Western/River/Pearl Streets and Prospect Street
- Massachusetts Avenue near Porter Square
Also per the memorandum, there is no stopping at the Central Square and Porter Square stops, they do not have the authority to drive down Memorial Drive, and idling at Tour Bus stops anywhere in Cambridge is completely out of the question.
“We’ve had an excellent relationship with the City of Cambridge and will continue to do so,” founder and CEO Matt George told me on the phone. “Especially Mayor Maher and Councilor Cheung have been so incredibly supporting of responsible innovation. We think that this is a hiccup of bureaucracy that we’re concerned about but are really confident in the leadership of Cambridge.
And George isn’t worried about this at all, by the way. Though he admittedly finds this entire scenario disturbing, he’s abundantly aware that there’s no actual legislation on the books to enforce this.
On Thursday evening, Cambridge Mayor David Maher issued the following statement about the Department’s decision:
It has become increasingly clear that the City of Cambridge, like many other cities, needs to develop transportation strategies that better respond to these emerging transportation services. Recently, we have seen a number of new technologies aimed at promoting alternative transportation methods for those living and working in Cambridge. We must continue to seek these alternative modes of transportation if we hope to positively impact climate change and reduce the burden on our public transit services. As Cambridge moves forward with our Master Planning process, I expect that transportation issues will continue to be a major focus.
BostInno reached out to Mayor Maher’s chief of staff, Jefferson Smith, but he was not reachable at this time.
We all know that Cambridge has, to put it lightly, an iffy relationship with alternative modes of transportation – cough, Uber, cough – so it almost comes as no surprise that Cambridge doesn’t want Bridj stepping on the taxi cab industry’s turf.
But it’s more than disheartening when a City stifles innovation. Luckily, though, George and his Bridj constituents aren’t fazed by this semblance of a ruling and will continue to make sure their bus service serves the Greater Boston Area’s need for reliable transportation.
