MBTA overseers on Thursday voted to move forward with a reshaped bus map that aims to boost the total amount of service by 25 percent across the board, despite concerns from some riders, advocates and elected officials about route-level changes included in the plan.
The MBTA's board of directors unanimously approved a suite of service modifications, collectively referred to as the Bus Network Redesign project, contingent upon an equity analysis that officials say will be completed by December.
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Leaders at the transit agency rolled out a draft plan in May and then an updated version in October calling for an across-the-board 25 percent increase in bus frequency over a five-year period, designed to provide greater connectivity to growing job centers and better service in communities such as Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Lynn, Roxbury and Dorchester.
During a lengthy public comment period ahead of Thursday's vote, praise for the proposal came from prominent figures including TransitMatters Executive Director Jarred Johnson and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
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"It will bring significant improvements to our city," Wu said. "We very much need every step toward increased service frequency, more direct routes where people need to go, and a bus network that actually aligns with today's travel patterns."
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Board members opted not to heed calls to delay the vote from several speakers who argued that the public needs a longer period to understand revisions to the draft map and how their commuting patterns will need to change.
"There have only been two meetings held by the MBTA since the current map was released in October 2022, and those meetings had robust public participation indicating continued concerns and recommendations for further updates to the map," Conservation Law Foundation Staff Attorney Juanita Gibson said.
