A policy Analysis of the mbta’s New Automated Fare Collection System
Section 1.1 – Early Public Stagecoach Service
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- Section 1.2 – Passenger Comfort and Reliability
Section 1.1 – Early Public Stagecoach ServiceFollowing the American Revolution, bridges were constructed to connect the Boston peninsula to the mainland, including Cambridge, but the flourishing commonwealth still required more land transportation services to meet the personal and commercial demands of its citizens. Regular stagecoach service arrived between Boston and Cambridge in 1793, and the system quickly expanded to reach the other numerous outlying areas, traveling over the many new bridges. With an ever increasing interest to meet the needs and demands of customers, variations of this traditional form of stagecoach service soon appeared on the Boston landscape. The most notable was the daily omnibus service, with the "omni" meaning "all." Similar to the current network of MBTA buses, the omnibuses had several assigned stops along a published route. Seats were lengthwise inside the horse-drawn vehicles, and doors at both ends allowed for much more rapid and efficient loading and unloading of passengers. They represented a monumental step forward in acknowledging the necessity for public transportation to increase the scope of its availability and accessibility to the citizens of Boston. If the stagecoaches are analogous to today’s taxis, the omnibus foreshadows the incredible public promise embodied by the MBTA.3 Section 1.2 – Passenger Comfort and ReliabilityHaving begun to address the challenge of accommodating large numbers of passengers, the mass transportation of Boston then set out to address passenger comfort and the reliability of service. Especially as a result of cold Boston winter, the streets were perpetually marred by ruts and mud, and streets covered by ice and snow presented an even more immediate hazard to horse-drawn vehicles. Boston turned to an idea New York had experimented with since 1832 of running the horsecars on two parallel metal rails permanently fixed in the streets. This created a much smoother ride for the passengers, and allowed for operation through adverse weather conditions. The rails also enabled the much faster transportation more weight as a result of the reduced surface friction on the wheels. The first horsecar on rails began running March 26, 1856 between Central Square and Bowdin Street. The created an atmosphere of healthy competition with the rail and omnibus services that brought about even greater levels of customer satisfaction and attention. However, this time period also illustrated the need for public administration of mass transportation, as many routes were largely overlapping yet fares varied widely. Laying a foundation for the public-interest minded MBTA, the General Court of Massachusetts passed the West End Consolidation Act, which formed a single transportation system on the rails lining many Boston streets called the West End Street Railway. It was remarkable accomplishment as one of the largest such networks in the America at that time. The next problem tackled by mass transportation pioneers following these significant improvements to comfort and reliability was public health. The West End Company maintained a fleet of 8,000 horses for pulling the street railway cars, which were prone to disease and frequently injured from overloaded cars. The combination of sick animals and incredible amounts of waste were particularly a problem in the already crowded city streets of Boston. This motivated the search for alternative means of locomotion for the transit vehicles.4 Cable cars had gained popularity and acceptance in other US cities during the late 1800s, and Boston also entertained plans for two cable car lines stretching across the city. However, the West End Company, which was scheduled to assume management, had apprehensions about their success in the rough Boston weather. In no rush to pursue the cable car plan, the transportation decision-makers decided to visit Richmond, VA and preview another mass transportation design installed by the Union Passenger Railway Company. These cars ran on rails but were powered by electricity supplied from an overhead copper wire.5 T  
Source: http://www.mbta.com/insidethet/taag_history7.asp he West End Railways executives were amazed at the speeds achieved by the electrified cars, but they still questioned the ability of primitive American power systems to handle the load. Late one night, Union Passenger ran the entire fleet of 21 cars simultaneously on the overhead copper wires. The Bostonians were thoroughly convinced and took an incredible step of faith in bringing electrified rail cars to the entire metropolitan area. And once again the citizens of Boston ruled the day. Developers saw the potential of connecting underdeveloped areas by rail car, and soon Massachusetts had more track per square mile than any other US state. Boston mass transit was continuing its long tradition of delivering more service to more people with greater reliability.6 Directory: mac -> classes -> 6.805 -> student-papers mac -> Issues paper mac -> Adaptation of Fisheries and Fishing Communities to the Impacts of Climate Change in the caricom region Issues paper Robin Mahon mac -> Life and letters of lord macaulay mac -> A message from Mr. Dryden mac -> Education: 2006-2010: Townsend Harris High School mac -> Human Rights in the Global Village: The Challenges of Privacy and National Security mac -> Allis-Roller, llc machine List mac -> Project summary mac -> Macroeconomics Machine-graded Assessment Items Module: Macroeconomic Measures of Performance student-papers -> Democratic Structures in Cyberspace Download 5.21 Mb. Share with your friends:
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