MBTA Announces On-Street Opportunities for Riders to Learn about the December 15 Launch of Phase 1 of Bus Network Redesign

The MBTA continues to get ready for the Phase 1 launch of Bus Network Redesign. In addition to new signage and information already available onsite, MBTA staff will be in person December 5 – 20 at key bus stops and stations to answer questions from riders.

This notice serves as a reminder of the previously announced launch of Phase 1 of Bus Network Redesign.

The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign is a major initiative aimed at improving bus service reliability, frequency, and connectivity throughout the region. The initiative’s first phase will go live on December 15. Phase 1 will launch four new Frequent Bus Routes by increasing service on  Route 86, Route 104, Route 109, Route 110, and Route 116/117 in Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Malden, Somerville, Cambridge, Allston, Brighton, and East Boston.   

Beginning next week and through December 20, MBTA staff will be available at many bus stops along the routes that will be experiencing changes and at the following stations: 

• Malden Center 
• Wonderland 
• Maverick 
• Airport 
• Sullivan Square 
• Harvard 

Staff will assist riders by answering questions and helping them navigate their routes, stops, and schedules as well as distributing materials available in 12 languages. MBTA teams will be at locations generally Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 9:30 AM and 3:30 to 5:30 PM with additional timeslots to be determined. Interpreters will be available at many stations. 

Many Phase 1 Materials Are Available 

The MBTA’s December outreach builds on engagement in November to bring awareness and information to riders at key bus stops impacted by the improvements. More than 25 tabling and station events provided answers to thousands of rider questions and shared resources in multiple languages. Schedules for specific bus routes impacted by these changes are now available online as a PDF at mbta.com on the Phase 1 Service webpage.

In addition, the MBTA has developed a number of community and individual resources to assist riders in navigating these changes, including rider booklets and flyers. 

The Phase 1 Rider Booklet is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Italian, Vietnamese, and Khmer. The graphic booklet describes why and how routes are changing and improving. It includes easy-to-read route maps and schedules. 

For printable information about the upcoming service changes, riders can download the Phase 1 flyer in a preferred language:

• English 
• Amharic | አማርኛ
• Bengali | বাংলা
• Arabic | العربية 
• Khmer | ខ្មែរ  
• Simplified Chinese | 汉语 
• Haitian Creole | Kreyòl Ayisyen 
• Italian | Italiano 
• Portuguese | Português 
• Spanish | Español 
• Russian | Русский 
• Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt 

Sign up for T-Alerts 

Visit the T-Alerts website to subscribe to text or email alerts for service changes and visit the Bus Alerts page to see the upcoming service changes related to Phase 1. 

Stay Connected 

To stay informed about the progress of the Better Bus Project and its initiatives in the meantime, visit mbta.com/BetterBus and sign up for emails here. To learn more about Bus Network Redesign, please visit mbta.com/BNR. 

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