MBTA and City of Revere Announce Start of Southbound AM Peak Bus Lane Pilot

The MBTA and the City of Revere today announced an AM peak bus lane pilot along the southbound side of Broadway in Revere between Revere Street and Revere Beach Parkway. The mile-long bus lane will begin operational testing on the morning of October 25, 2021, with an official pilot start slated for November 8 and continuing until the end of spring 2022. Pending an evaluation of the pilot’s performance, the City of Revere may determine whether to make the treatment permanent. The bus facilities are in effect immediately.

“Key Bus Route 116/117 is critical for our riders traveling in Revere and accessing the Blue Line. In the wake of the pandemic, this has been one of our highest ridership routes, retaining more than 80% of its average weekday ridership,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “These bus priority improvements will improve the commute for our current riders while encouraging more commuters to get on board and take transit. We thank the City of Revere for their leadership and collaboration during this critical time.”

“This project is a priority for the City of Revere because we know that we cannot support an equitable recovery without improving transit for our frontline workers,” said Mayor Brian M. Arrigo. “We are excited to start this pilot and look forward to working with the local business community and riders to improve upon it in the coming weeks and months.”

According to a 2017 CTPS survey, 60% of Route 116/117 riders are non-white and 55% are low-income, well above MBTA system-wide averages for bus service. This pilot is the first time the City of Revere and the MBTA have worked together to commit local road space to bus priority. The project corresponds with other transit improvements along Broadway in Chelsea implemented earlier in November, which includes a bus lane that also benefits the Key Bus Route 116/117.