• Riders along Pleasant Street in Arlington objected to losing their Route 67 bus connection to Alewife.
• Riders in East Arlington objected to losing their Route 350 connection to Burlington.
• Riders of the Route 80 bus objected to the long headways and inherent unreliability of making connections with a long-distance route.
• Riders in Burlington objected to removing their Route 350 connection to Alewife, and the longer bus ride to Davis.
• 25-90 minute headways on the newly designed Route 80 (merged with the 350) are too unreliable to provide a reasonable transfer at Davis or Medford-Tufts.
  

. It also gives riders in Medford, Somerville, and on the Tufts campus a convenient connection to shopping on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, including Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Maruichi, and Trader Joe's.

Package A would provide higher frequency service on the new Route 80, running every 20-30 minutes, 7 days per week.


If Proposal 2, Package A is not adopted:

• The 67 bus will be moved off of Pleasant Street, and will use Massachusetts Avenue and Alewife Brook Parkway to reach Alewife Station. Buses would run with weekday headways of 30 minutes (rush hour), 90 minutes (mid-day). There would be no service after 7:00 p.m. and no weekend service.
  
  
• The 350 bus will be merged with Route 80. The 350 will no longer serve Massachusetts Avenue or Alewife Station. It would be rerouted to Medford Street, Boston Avenue, and College Avenue, and will terminate at Davis. Buses would run with weekday headways of 25 minutes (rush hour), 50 minutes (mid-day), and 90 minutes after 7:00 p.m. Weekend service is planned for 50 minute headways before 7:00 p.m. and 90 minute headways in the evening.

Proposal 2, Package B would divert buses away from an improved Route 80, and restore service on Route 94. While Package B would restore Route 94 service on High Street, it would significantly reduce service along Boston Avenue. This is due to the difficulty in coordinating two routes on one street, and would build increased bus bunching into the schedule.

Proposal 2, Package C is an option that is independent of Package A and Package B. Package C moves the 96 from College Avenue to Winthrop Avenue. Package C retains the improved headways in the original Bus Network Redesign plan in which Route 96 becomes a frequent bus route providing 15 minutes or better service.

• Send an email urging adoption of Proposal 2, Package A with higher frequency service on the new Route 80, running every 20-30 minutes, 7 days per week to betterbusproject@mbta.com
• Mail a letter to: 
  Better Bus Project Team 
  45 High St, Floor 5 
  Boston, MA 02110
• Complete an online survey.
  

• The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization walked back its initial commitment to extending the Green Line to Mystic Valley Parkway, in order to reduce the project's cost. Aligning bus service along Boston Avenue to the Green Line trains, west of Tufts, compensates for the unbuilt portion of the Green Line Extension.
  
• The MBTA charges Arlington an annual assessment weighted by nine times the town's population. For FY 2027, Arlington's assessment is $3,605,648. These weights are equal to communities with extensive fixed rail service like Newton, Medford, and Somerville.
• On December 2, 2020, Arlington's Select Board cited the unfair MBTA assessments and the heavy utilization of transit in town as critical reasons for improved service to the Green Line Extension. They argued against the elimination of Route 80, because it is the only bus service connecting Arlington to the Green Line Extension.
• Arlington Town Meeting adopted resolutions in 2023 and 2024 calling for the MBTA to provide frequent, reliable service from Arlington Heights, through Arlington Center, and along Medford Street and Boston Avenue with convenient connections to the West Medford commuter rail station and the Medford/Tufts terminus of the Green Line Extension.
  
• Frequent Route 80 service is not an expensive addition to the network. Arlington pays an annual MBTA (FY27) assessment of $3,605,648, which is disproportionate to the level of service we receive. Frequent Route 80 service moves us toward equity relative to our payment to the T.
  
• Depending on the time of day, Route 80 buses can travel between Arlington Center and the new Medford/Tufts stop in 6-14 minutes. The bus travels along a route that is shorter and less congested than Route 77's path along Massachusetts Avenue, connecting Arlington to the Red Line at Porter or Harvard.
• Frequent Route 80 service will create an easy, practical connection at West Medford Station (from the stop at Boston Avenue & Harvard Avenue) for riders who choose to access the MBTA Commuter Rail. It also gives riders in Medford, Somerville, and on the Tufts campus a convenient connection to shopping on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, including Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Maruichi, and Trader Joe's.