Staffing woes last year made the MBTA put the brakes on an ambitious plan to revamp its bus network into a more reliable and frequent companion to the subway system. But what appears to be the runaway success of the T’s hiring efforts has put the idea back on the table.
An MBTA bus network that keeps pace with a growing and changing population is key to a functioning transit system and regional economy. Ours isn’t, but there’s still time to get it back on the road to success.
MBTA overseers on Thursday voted to move forward with a reshaped bus map that aims to boost the total amount of service by 25 percent across the board, despite concerns from some riders, advocates and elected officials about route-level changes included in the plan.
The MBTA will need to hire more than 750 new bus drivers to achieve an envisioned overhaul that would boost systemwide bus trip frequency by 25 percent, a daunting task amid a challenging labor market, officials said.
