How to Improve Bus Service and Performance on Busy Corridors

A new report collects the lessons and best practices of several years of bus priority projects in the Boston region.

1 minute read

June 23, 2021, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Broadway Bus Lane in Everett

The Everett bus priority pilot project at work in December 2016. | Mayor Carlo DeMaria / Facebook

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)—the regional planning agency for the region surrounding in Boston in Massachusetts—has published a new report aimed sharing lessons and best practices for the implementation of bus infrastructure improvements.

"The guide lays out steps to help municipal staff, community leaders, and advocates launch successful bus improvements in high ridership, high delay corridors. These projects are important tools in achieving climate, equity, and transit goals, as well as improving quality of life for the thousands of people in our region," according to an MAPC website that promotes the new "Get it Rolling" report.

The "Get It Rolling" report distills information from six bus priority projects implemented around the region, including projects in Everett, Boston, Arlington, Cambridge, Watertown, and Somerville. Among those cities, Everett was the first to pilot a shared-bus bike lanes in the Greater Boston region since the creation of the Silver Line in Boston.

"Everett’s transformative bus lane led to a domino effect in Greater Boston, with numerous other municipalities piloting and laying down permanent fixtures for bus lanes throughout the region: over the next four years, Roslindale, Arlington, Cambridge, Watertown, Allston, and Somerville saw the benefits of improved commute times for bus riders," according to the same website.

Monday, June 21, 2021 in Metropolitan Area Planning Council

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

7 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6, 2025 - Next City

Tunnel for pedestrians, bikes, and buses in Lyon, France lit up with purple lights.

The French Solution to Congested Tunnels: Make Them Car-Free

Bay Area transportation officials keep expanding car capacity. Lyon’s Croix Rousse Tunnel offers a different way.

2 hours ago - Streetsblog San Francisco

Missouri state Rep. Chris Brown speaking in government chamber.

Missouri Governor Reverses Anti-Discrimination Housing Policies

A new state law bars cities from prohibiting source-of-income discrimination against tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers.

2 hours ago - Missouri Independent

Pedestrians crossing a rainbow painted crosswalk in New York City.

USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program

The program targets “distractions” and “political messages or artwork,” and paves the way for autonomous vehicles.

3 hours ago - Urban Milwaukee