Transportation Dashboard

September 15, 2015

MBTA Experiment Gone Wrong! The Green Line Extension Contract

Background The Green Line Extension (GLX) is a long-awaited MBTA project, the result of a lawsuit settlement involving Big Dig mitigation and the Federal Clean Air Act.  The project as planned will add two branch lines to the northern end of the...
August 6, 2015

Cash-free, Conductor-free Trains

In 2012, the MBTA introduced the mTicket app that allows users to purchase train tickets through their mobile devices and display their ticket on their screen as conductors make their rounds. Pioneer recognized the app in its 2014 Better Government Awards for “putting to...
July 29, 2015

Extend Private Transportation Innovation to the Suburbs

This past year, Boston and Bridj celebrated a transportation innovation victory: a successful partnership between public officials and a private data-driven bus enterprise. Bridj, a “smart” bus line, bases its route on electronically communicated customer needs. Bridj experienced initial pushback from the...

‘Runaway’ costs on rail & T

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/04/runaway_costs_on_rail_t http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/12/report-mbta-spending-out-of-control-on-employee-pay/ http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/21951093/2013/04/12/report-mbta-salaries-far-above-other-state-agencies The state’s taxpayer-funded commuter rail service is lavishing extravagant raises, “signing” bonuses and other plum perks on its engineers and conductors, according to a scathing new report that also slams the debt-ridden MBTA for its own “excessive” labor costs...

The Pioneer Plan for Massachusetts' Transportation Needs

Expect more on the Pioneer Plan for Transportation in the coming days. Already in January, we issued a detailed Public Statement on the governor’s transportation plan. Expect in the next week or two a full report. In the interim, here is a...

Pioneer and Northeastern Present State Transportation Scorecard

Use Pioneer's Transportation Dashboard, an online, interactive application designed to model a performance measurement system that could be deployed by the state’s Department of Transportation. It features an array of publicly-available data in an easy-to-digest format, and includes the latest information on key indicators of performance such as congestion, throughput, safety, construction management, and environmental stewardship.

Missing the Bus: The Fight to Contract Competitively for MBTA Bus Service

Public transit agencies across the nation are struggling to control costs without reducing service. One effective strategy used by a growing number of public transit agencies is to contract competitively for bus operations. Almost without exception, these agencies report that private bus...