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By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

Let’s talk about buses. Every day, roughly 16,000 riders hop on a bus in Somerville. We have 15 bus routes that serve our residents, but MBTA buses are only on time about 60% of the time. While we like to blame the MBTA for that, that’s not entirely fair. Anyone who tries to negotiate peak hour traffic knows it can slow to a standstill. We cannot pretend that if the MBTA simply funded more buses or drivers our bus service would improve. Buses can’t pass through solid objects.

Bus unreliability creates a vicious cycle – our residents won’t use the bus when they can’t rely on it, which puts more cars on the road, which creates more traffic, which delays more buses, which puts even more cars on the road. It’s hard to blame someone who needs to be on time for hopping in a car, taxi, or a rideshare. The way to break that car-centric cycle is by recognizing that we own our streets and we as a community can prioritize buses as an efficient, equitable, low-carbon mode of transportation. Simply put, we need to make buses first-class citizens on our roadways.

The good news is we already know that prioritizing buses works. Research has shown that when municipalities take steps to improve bus service the buses start performing better. We took a first step at this in 2017 by installing a dedicated bus lane along Prospect Street leading into Union Square. The lane has shaved about six minutes off the travel time of the CT2 bus.

This spring we will be taking the next step by creating a dedicated bus lane along Broadway in Winter Hill. The lanes will run from Magoun Square to McGrath Highway, which will help streamline the trip for the MBTA’s 80 and 101 routes. And in 2020, we hope to add another dedicated bus lane to help buses on the 87 and 88 routes get through traffic in Teele and Davis Squares.

But we also need to recognize that regional cooperation will be key in making real change. The bus routes that serve Somerville also travel through other neighboring cities and if we all do our part we can make some real change. Imagine if Cambridge and Boston – the other two cities the CT2 passes through – could shave a similar amount of time off its route. While six minutes makes an impact, 15 or 20 minutes could be game changing. Many of our neighbors have started doing their own work and hopefully more will come as they see positive results.

We need those results, not just to aid and attract more bus riders. There are also important side benefits to getting more people to ride the bus. Great public transit connects workers to better jobs, and reliable public transit means employees can get to those jobs on time. With better public transit options, there are also more residents who may decide to get rid of their cars and that lowers their cost of living. AAA estimates the average annual cost of owning a car is $8,500 a year. If you can eliminate that cost and be connected to one of the strongest job markets in the country that can make a serious positive difference in your household finances, which can help make living here more affordable.

Better transit also keeps the air cleaner for all of us. About a third of our city’s carbon footprint comes from motor vehicles. We have to eliminate those emissions in order to achieve carbon neutrality, and the urgency for that is only increasing. It is imperative we change how people get around this city by making greener choices like taking the bus practical and convenient.

When the Green Line Extension comes online it will take tens of thousands of vehicles off the road. While that’s a huge step, the reality is that the Green Line, as well as other train lines, don’t go everywhere in the city. Buses are essential for filling in those gaps and linking people to rail lines. That’s why better bus service is also a matter of equity.

While cities and towns need to do their part, it’s good news that the MBTA recognizes its part in maintaining a dependable bus network and last year kicked off the Better Bus Project. The process began with collecting rider feedback and, probably not surprising to many bus riders, one issue that rose to the top was more frequent and more reliable service. Based on rider feedback, the MBTA has proposed small changes to bus routes throughout the system, including to some routes that serve Somerville. You can see all the proposals at www.betterbus.mbta.com and share your thoughts. You can also find more information on how to stay involved as the Better Bus Project progresses.

We know that buses are an essential transit option for thousands of our residents and, with improvements; many more are likely to join their ranks.  We also know that as a City, we have some ability to help improve bus service and that even small interventions can start making a difference. If we want to meet our carbon neutrality goals, reduce congestion on our streets, and a provide an affordable and equitable transit option to our residents we need to embrace a future of improved bus service and remain committed to doing whatever we can to make that happen.