Bridj may have received less than stellar news from the City of Cambridge last week when the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department recommended a number of limitations on the transportation service’s proposed pop-up bus routes, but they’re hardly fazed. In fact, as they continue to work on how best to operate across the Charles River, they’re eyeing South Boston as the terminus of their next Boston-based bus line.
Southie seems a logical neighborhood for Bridj to launch a new route from. It’s serviced by just three subway stations – Broadway, Andrew and JFK/UMass along the Red Line – and the MBTA busses that wind through its streets are often overcrowded and more stressful than what Bridj hopes to accomplish.
“We’ve been monitoring Southie very closely these past few months and know there is a huge need for transit that is both reliable and efficient,” noted Ryan Kelly, marketing manager, in an email.
But before they can get their Southie route off the ground, they need your help.
Using their big data algorithm, Bridj identified two potential routes stemming from the area poised to be most effective, though which one they’ll decide upon is up to you. To that end, Bridj is hosting a survey on their website, which ends on September 10, to determine the more critical need from potential riders.
Upon counting all of the votes, Bridj will launch the winning route on September 15.
One option begins in South Boston, makes a stop at both Copley Square and the Prudential Center, and comes to an end in the Longwood Medical Area.
The second choice also kicks off in Southie, proceeds up to the Seaport and over to Downtown Boston before screeching to a halt near the Charles/MGH subway station.
Earlier in August Bridj expanded its service to include a line from Coolidge Corner in Brookline to Harvard Square, with a stop at MIT/Kendall along the way.
Though Cambridge is unwilling to give Bridj free reign to operate as it pleases, Boston is quite the opposite. The City Council awarded Bridj a jitney license, which gives it permission to operate under certain municipal regulations, and expressed its full and unwavering support for the alternative mode of transportation.
Cambridge has notoriously been in favor of the taxi cab industry as opposed to new services like Bridj and Uber most notably.
But as founder and CEO Matt George told me prior, this is just a minor speed bump in Bridj’s continuous launch and will hardly slow down plans to offer Bostonians and metro region residents an adept ride from A to B.
