Search ▸ Agenda item attachment
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 25-23 regarding a Citywide Shuttle Bus Pilot program
To:
Yi-An Huang, City Manager
From:
Brooke McKenna, Commissioner
Date:
April 10, 2025
Subject: Awaiting Report 2025-23
In response to Awaiting Report 25-23 requesting that the City Manager work with relevant City
departments and institutional stakeholders currently operating some form of shuttle to explore options for
a municipal transit pilot program, we report the following:
Introduction
The staff of the Transportation Department is preparing a study scope of work to identify service gaps
and potential improvements in the public transit and shuttle network in the city. This is an important
preliminary step in exploring a municipal transit pilot. The study will take place over 12 months using
consultant services and will be funded through a combination of existing operating funds and
development mitigation funds specifically provided to explore these issues. The study will include
community and stakeholder engagement, data analysis, peer comparisons, and policy review among
other approaches.
In the material below, we describe:
Our current understanding of the public transit network, including available-to-the-public (“open
door”) private shuttles in addition to the MBTA’s services
Areas for consideration in the study
Expected outcomes of the study
Current Transit Network
Public transit access in Cambridge is relatively abundant. Within the city boundaries, we have access to
publicly- and privately-operated public transit. Among them are:
25 MBTA local bus routes plus
6 MBTA frequent bus routes
fare-free EZRide shuttle
fare-free Harvard University campus shuttles
paid Longwood Collective (formerly known as MASCO) M2 route
1 commuter rail station
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Nearby access to 7 rapid transit/subway stations on the Red and Green Lines (includes 5 stations
within Cambridge as well as Davis Square and Union Square)
On a typical weekday day in 2024, about 58,000 MBTA bus and subway riders board at stations or stops
in Cambridge. This is in addition to riders of private shuttle riders that we do not have data for.
In addition to these scheduled and “fixed” route services, Cambridge is also served by MBTA’s
paratransit service THE RIDE and provides funding for the local operations of the Door2Door community
transportation service. Door2Door primarily serves people with disabilities and seniors with affordable
community transportation primarily to medical visits.
The City set long-term goals in the Envision Cambridge citywide plan to increase the share of residents
that live within walking distance of a subway station, frequent bus route, and quality sustainable
transportation options. While the Envision Cambridge mobility dashboard will be updated with 2024
housing and transportation data when it becomes available, the 2023 statistics provide a fairly recent
understanding of access to transit:
49% of Cambridge residents lived within a 1/2-mile walk of a subway station
35% of Cambridge residents lived within a 1/4-mile walk of a frequent bus route
While these statistics provide an overall picture, we know access to public transit and shuttles is different
by neighborhood. In addition, not all bus or shuttle routes operate all day or all week. To show this
variability, we include the two attached maps:
1. The first map shows public transit that runs on all days of the week.
2. The second map shows frequent transit and shuttles on weekday commuter hours. We use the
MBTA’s definition of a frequent bus route of at least every 15 minutes although some of these
routes have better schedules, with buses at least every 7-8 minutes during rush hours.
This amount of access to quality public transit results in higher public transit use than many other cities in
the US with similar populations.
Areas for Consideration
The study will explore various ways to maximize transit access in the city, including identifying gaps in
service, improving existing shuttle and local transit, considering new services, and the financial
implications of these opportunities.
To identify gaps in existing service, the study will consider issues such as:
Access to local and neighborhood business districts including local retailers or groceries
Accessing opportunities like education or employment from specific areas
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Transportation for people with disabilities who have limited mobility to access essential services
Affordability for people from households with limited incomes and older people on fixed incomes
Transportation for younger people who may not have a bicycle or access to a motor vehicle
Reduced vehicular access and parking due to changes in the layout of our streets made to
accommodate separate bicycle lanes and other uses for our streets
Looking at expansion of existing services or introduction of new services, the study will consider issues
such as:
Potential for overlapping services to compete for the same riders
Significant costs of operating public transit or community transportation
o
For example, the MBTA spends around $300 per hour running local buses not including capital
expenses, and local on-demand transit trips could cost as much as $20 per ride
Ensuring the City is not paying twice for duplicative coverage, given the City’s existing $12 Million
annual funding to the MBTA
Ensuring prioritization of underserved communities
Expected Study Outcomes
The main outcomes of this study will be to:
1. Identify gaps in the combined shuttle/bus/subway network
2. Understand current shuttle operations in Cambridge including both “closed-door” and “open-door”
services
3. Identify peer municipalities with similar transit/shuttle configurations and gather applicable
lessons to apply to Cambridge
4. Explore improvements to existing shuttles and define the considerations for establishing
additional shuttle services or new routes with existing shuttle providers
The study will provide the insights needed for decision making after the conclusion of the study as well
as providing actionable steps to improve mobility in Cambridge. These could include:
Identifying ways to make Cambridge residents, workers, students, and visitors aware of existing
“open door” shuttles and encourage use of these shuttles, many of which are fare free
Document ideas for improving efficiency of existing shuttles including the EZRide, university
campus shuttles, and private/employer shuttles
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Highlight ways to improve the rider experience for these shuttles such as stop amenities,
locations, and public information
Explore opportunities to add new shuttle routes to existing services
Considerations for starting up a new municipal shuttle service including financial and other
feasibility considerations.
Enclosures:
Two maps showing transit and shuttle access in Cambridge
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Fresh Pond
Charles River
DAVIS
PORTER
CENTRAL
HARVARD
ALEWIFE
CHARLES/MGH
KENDALL/MIT
COPLEY
BOWDOIN
LECHMERE
ASSEMBLY
BOYLSTON
CHINATOWN
ARLINGTON
WELLINGTON
BALL SQUARE
PARK STREET
UNION SQUARE
AMORY
STREET
SCIENCE PARK
MAGOUN SQUARE
NORTH
STATION
GILMORE SQUARE
BABCOCK
STREET
HARVARD
AVENUE
EAST
SOMERVILLE
PACKARDS
CORNER
SULLIVAN SQUARE
BLANDFORD
STREET
DOWNTOWN CROSSING
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER
BU EAST
BU CENTRAL
Areas within Half-Mile Walking Distance from
Subway and Quarter-Mile Walking Distance
from All-Week MBTA Buses and
"Open-Door" Shuttles
All-Week Access
to Transit and Shuttles
Cambridge, Massachusetts
¯
0
0.5
1
Miles
Walking Distances and Transit Options
Half-Mile from Subway Station
Quarter-Mile from MBTA Bus Stop
Quarter-Mile from "Open-Door" Shuttle Stop
MBTA Bus Routes
"Open-Door" Shuttle Routes
MBTA Subway Lines and Stations
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Red Line
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Orange Line
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Green Line
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Blue Line
Map prepared by Brendan Monroe on April 10, 2025. CDD GIS C:\Projects\Env_Trans\Shuttles\TransitAccessWithShuttles.mxd
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Fresh Pond
Charles River
DAVIS
PORTER
CENTRAL
HARVARD
ALEWIFE
CHARLES/MGH
KENDALL/MIT
COPLEY
BOWDOIN
LECHMERE
ASSEMBLY
BOYLSTON
CHINATOWN
ARLINGTON
WELLINGTON
BALL SQUARE
PARK STREET
UNION SQUARE
AMORY
STREET
SCIENCE PARK
MAGOUN SQUARE
NORTH
STATION
GILMORE SQUARE
BABCOCK
STREET
HARVARD
AVENUE
EAST
SOMERVILLE
PACKARDS
CORNER
SULLIVAN SQUARE
BLANDFORD
STREET
DOWNTOWN CROSSING
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER
BU EAST
BU CENTRAL
Areas within Half-Mile Walking Distance from
Subway and Quarter-Mile Walking Distance
from Frequent MBTA Buses and
"Open-Door" Shuttles on Weekdays
Weekday Access to
Frequent Transit and Shuttles
Cambridge, Massachusetts
¯
0
0.5
1
Miles
Walking Distances and Transit Options
Half-Mile from Subway Station
Quarter-Mile from MBTA Bus Stop
Quarter-Mile from "Open-Door" Shuttle Stop
Frequent MBTA Bus Routes
"Open-Door" Shuttle Routes
MBTA Subway Lines and Stations
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Red Line
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Orange Line
!!
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Green Line
!!
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Blue Line
Map prepared by Brendan Monroe on April 10, 2025. CDD GIS C:\Projects\Env_Trans\Shuttles\FrequentBusAndShuttleAccess.mxd