Emerson College's student newspaper

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College's student newspaper

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College's student newspaper

The Berkeley Beacon

MBTA pilot may become permanent

The pilot late-night MBTA subway and bus service, which began in the spring, is still in effect, and may continue after the yearlong test is up.

“The fairly consistent numbers are a good sign,” said Kelly Smith, deputy press secretary for the MBTA, noting that there are 14,000–17,000 riders per weekend during late night service, compared to 16,500-17,500 riders daily. She also said that “continued solid ridership” could lead to keeping the service after the pilot year.

In March, the MBTA extended its weekend service hours after continued customer requests, according to its website. The Red, Orange, Blue, and Green lines and the 15 most popular bus routes run until approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, compared to 1:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

“Now that college students are back,” Smith said, “there is a larger demographic for late night service.”

Correction, Sept. 25: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the MBTA’s ridership figures. There are 14,000–17,000 riders per weekend, not 1,400–1,700 riders a night.

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