A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-50, regarding a report on CRLS student transnit needs

C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department Iram Farooq Assistant City Manager for Community Development Sandra Clarke Deputy Director Chief of Administration 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Date: July 24, 2018 Re: Awaiting Report 18-50 dated 5/7/18, regarding CRLS student transit needs Public transportation is an important way for students to access educational opportunities. The above referenced council order expressed concerns about the ability of the current bus service to get Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) students to school on time and equitably serve students. The council order requested that staff work with the Cambridge Public School (CPS) and CRLS Administration to ensure that their feedback inform the MBTA’s bus service planning. MBTA Coordination and Route 68 and 69 Schedule Adjustments The City and the MBTA coordinate on transit related issues, including students’ needs, through monthly MBTA meetings and participation in the MBTA’s ongoing Better Bus Project. In 2016, City staff worked with MBTA service planning staff to make minor adjustments to the schedule for Route 69 (Harvard Square-Lechmere) to help students arrive on-time in the morning. These changes were implemented in September of 2016 to align with the start of the school year. In May 2018, City staff also worked with the MBTA to determine whether minor adjustments could be made to the Route 68 (Harvard Square-Kendall/MIT) schedule to help students be more on-time. The current Route 68 schedule does meet the needs for on-time arrivals to the best ability, with some leeway for congestion. Better Bus Project Currently, the MBTA is carrying out the Better Bus Project (https://mbta.com/betterbus), a shorter-term service planning update for buses in the MBTA system. In late 2018, the Better Bus Project team will propose changes to bus service based on research, public process, and established partnerships. As part of the public process, a public meeting was held at CRLS on May 30, 2018 to get input from Cambridge residents. Next Steps The City will supplement the MBTA’s public process for gathering input from the Cambridge community on the Better Bus Project. At least five city-sponsored meetings, open either to the general public or with business groups, will be held during the months of September and October. In addition, a survey and wikimap tool will be developed to solicit input online.

Page 2 of 2 CDD staff will directly coordinate with CPS and CRLS staff on ideas for equitable improvements to the bus service for students, and will incorporate this feedback into input for the Better Bus Project. Staff will also continue to work directly with the MBTA on minor modifications that may be helpful as schedules are updated on a quarterly basis.