And Now for a Non-Musical Interlude: An Illustrated Guide to the MBTA

Major benefit to living in Boston: an extensive public transportation system. The MBTA (or Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) is the classy way to travel. Affectionately known as the "T," this system includes buses, trains, and the commuter rail system (and maybe some boats. Or possibly spy cars.).  Navigating the T can be tricky, so below you will find a few tricks for the transit lines that are closest to BU.


The Green Line: This line runs directly in front of BU, so it is important. It's made up of a four-fingered claw-shaped amalgamation of four separate train lines (B, C, D, and E), which all converge close to the Kenmore stop and run up to Cambridge. It's helpful to imagine the Green Line as a Wizard of Oz-style witch hand:

Stylized Map of the Green Line

The B-line, in particular, has stops all along the BU campus, as shown.

The downside to BU's location is that it's difficult to get from one "finger" to another, because you have to take a train inbound to the "wrist," and then travel outbound back down the appropriate "finger/thumb." The good part is that the train runs all along BU's campus, so it's easy to travel from one part of campus to another. This is particularly nice in the winter.

It should be noted that Green Line stops are very close together, as compared to Red Line Stops, despite the MBTA's map making all stops look relatively equidistant.

MBTA Map

Reality (Distance in Human Steps)

The Green Line is made up of adorable trolley cars that emerge from underground and proceed to get stuck in traffic, behind pedestrians, and at red lights. The result is that it is often very rewarding to race the Green Line on your bike.

Despite the fact that this is arguably the most frustrating "subway" in the universe, it still deserves props because it is the heaviest-used light-rail line in the country, and also Boston's oldest subway (dating back to days when horses were apparently electrocuted).

The 57 Bus: This is a great alternative transportation option for those students who need to get to BU, but don't want to live in the densely-populated areas close to the B-line. The 57 bus runs the same route originally occupied by the now-defunct A-Line of the Green Line.  Depending on traffic, the 57 runs approximately every ten minutes (!!!!), with additional service during morning and evening rush hours. Like every bus commute, the 57 tends to be highly affected by weather, the mood of the bus driver, road conditions, the moon cycle, and other factors as shown below:

Monday Commute

Tuesday Commute

The best part of the 57 bus:

Other Important Info: Your Google Maps app will likely contain a button labeled "Transit." If you are looking at an area of Boston where the trains run, you can not only see the colored lines, but you can also plan a trip using public transportation on your app.

There are a number of MBTA Apps available, many of them for free. We can recommend MBTA Alerts for buses, but also suggest that you try apps to see which is the most accurate for your route.

Allow plenty of time for your commute, and bring music/reading/games/a book/knitting. This post only discussed one line and one bus, but there is a wealth of transit in Boston and we think you should explore it all!