Bridj Wants to Offer Late Night Transit Service in Boston

"A private transit company that already shuttles people around Greater Boston during the daytime has proposed to do the same at night, in a partnership with the MBTA to provide a late-night transportation option that workers, employers and transit advocates have clamored for," reports Colin A. Young.

The private transit company is Bridj, which has made news on Planetizen since 2014, when it emerged as the first tech-enabled "pop-up" bus service. The proposal would allow Bridj to offer "on demand late-night buses to move people around the city after the T's rail and traditional bus lines shut down."

The MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board considered the proposal this week, as an initial step in the process to implement the proposal.

MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve told State House News Service that Bridj has proposed a "public utility model" for its late-night service, and said the T would likely start with a pilot program before going all-in.

The MBTA shut down late-night service on the T in March 2016. It was the second time in 15 years that the MBTA had abandoned late night service.