The oft-discussed popup bus service, Bridj, is one of many alternative means of transportation taking hold in Boston. Currently in beta testing, Bridj aims to deliver passengers from one specific area in Greater Boston using a more direct route than, say, the MBTA. After all, if high school geometry taught me one thing, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Having already piqued the interest of such publications as The New York Times, Gizmodo, NPR and CityLab, one might think Bridj is already changing the mass transit game for the better. But, as it turns out, Bridj has yet to receive a jitney license to operate in Boston from the City Council.
Bridj founder and CEO Matt George filed an application to receive a jitney license (required if you or your company transports individuals to and from specific locations within the City of Boston) on behalf of Bridj’s holding company GroupZOOM Inc., back in June (see: below).
George did convey to BostInno in an email, though, that each Bridj partner is licensed by the Department of Public Utilities in the State of Massachusetts to provide charter service.
George’s application was then assigned to a City Council Committee on City, Neighborhood Service and Veteran Affairs, the hearing for which will take place on Monday, August 11. According to the hearing notice, on the docket is the “petition of Groupzoom Inc., for a license to operate motor vehicles for the carriage of passengers for hire over certain streets in Boston.”
BostInno reached out to the committee’s chair, Councilor Tim McCarthy, to gauge what the substance of the hearing will be about and whether or not he foresees an instance where the City Council would not award Bridj the proper licensure, but he has yet to respond our query.
“We’re not worried because Boston is a city that under Mayor Walsh’s leadership, and under the leadership of people like Councilman McCarthy is making strides to improve access and embrace technology to make life easier for each and every Bostonian,” George told BostInno in an email.
In the application, George notes that the rate of fare for riding a Bridj bus will cost a user anywhere from $1.50 to $10 based on the length of the trip and the time of day. Bridj is currently beta testing three different routes, none of which exceed $3 for the cost of a ride. Descriptions of the routes are available for reading in the application below.
What’s most interesting about all of this isn’t the fact that Bridj is playing by the rules, following the municipal protocol before launching a business that may or may not irritate City Hall brass; it’s that Bridj, a service that has received near-universal praise for its attempt at disrupting the public transit system, could be denied its license.
Granted the chances are slim and, more likely than not, George will receive the applicable permission to continue onward with Bridj. People love to hate on the MBTA, especially with this current wave of beautiful New England weather, getting people out on their own bikes, using Hubway’s bike-share service or simply putting one foot in front of the other.
Urban transportation is in the midst of an evolutionary period and Bridj is certainly near the center of that. But not all technologies are lauded by the city. Consider the contentious parking app Haystack – yes, I realize they’re in the business of reaping profit off public spaces – which the City Council has swiftly tried to ban entirely, as recently as last week.
Therefore, if, for whatever reason, the committee entertains testimony against Bridj, or committee members aren’t on board with this new bus service, it could spell the end of Bridj.
But given the fact that the likes of MassDOT and the Boston populous are in Bridj’s corner pulling for the company to offer a new service for Boston commuters and travelers, the company may very well receive proper licensure as expected.
“In the hypothetical world where the City of Boston would deny our application (after months of close collaboration), it would put them in a pretty tough spot of denying mass transit innovation (which the Mayor strongly supports) and denying essential service for the hundreds who now rely on us,” added George.
