Why People Don’t Use Mass Transit

MBTA Routing

I had to go into Boston today from Wellesley.  I had to be at 1 Kneeland Street at 3:30 pm.  I used the MBTA site to plan the trip and was given two options, one involving a transfer, the other not.

To avoid a transfer, I had to leave at Wellesley Square 12:33, take the Framingham/Worcester Line to South Station, and walk for what the MBTA estimates would have been 15 minutes to my appointment. If that’s correct, the train would get it at 1:15 pm, with a 15 minute walk, that’s 1:30.  Then I suppose I could have lunch or something to kill the 2 hours before my appointment.  The cost of this option, $5.25 and time in transit, 66 minutes.

The faster route, but 6 minutes, involved less walking and allowed me to leave later, but cost more.  I would have once again taken the Framingham/Worcester line, but this time to Back Bay, were I would have transfered to the Orange Line, getting to my stop at 3:10 for the brief walk.  This route cost $7.25.
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