T / subway, Boston

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You can purchase different types of passes. But if you only want a few rides, the CharlieCard or CharlieTicket can be used. You save money with a FREE CharileCard, read on for more info.

CharlieCard will cost $2.00 per subway rides while the CharlieTicket will cost $2.50 per rides. It is only a savings but 50 cents per ride per persion, but why not, the CharlieTicket is free!

For buses, it is $1.50 for Charlie Card and $2.00 for Charlie Ticket. The Charlie Card also helps with automatic discount transfers.

You get a Charlie Ticket by putting money or credit card into the machines at the stations, then use the Charlie Ticket to enter the station.

You get a Charlie Card by asking the attendant for a FREE one, then you add money to the card using the same machines used to buy Charlie Tickets. Then you use the Charlie Card to enter the station.

So the Charlie Card is a better deal.

Children 11 and under ride free with a paying adult.

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One of the best things about a metropolitan city is its network of public transporation. With the oldest subway system in the country, you can't go wrong riding the "T".

The "T" is a great way to get around Boston. The subway consists of four lines - Green, Orange, Blue, Red and all togehter cover most of the city and the immediate suburbs.

Living in a city like New York, I am use to riding the public transportation and find the "T" to be efficient and easy to navigate. One thing though, the "T" stops running after 12:30 am at some stations and up to 1:30 am you may be able to get on.

Make sure to know your designation, your line and the time schedule, occassionaly a bit off.

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I arrived in Boston on a Wednesday and by Thursday, I had a Charlie Card in hand and was riding the "The T" all over Boston and back to my hotel in Brookline. The routes are clearly marked, the stations are clean, well-lighted and to me, always feel safe even after dark. The different routes are color-coded and every station has clearly marked maps on the walls and these same maps seem to be everywhere in brochures for all types of attractions in and around Boston. I am in Boston on business, so I travel around town alone and have never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. It's fun to get on the T and be surounded by Red Sox fans on their way to or from a ball game. People watching is also fun on the T, but don't be surprised if the people aren't friendly. Not that hey are unfriendly, but they don't smile back or say hello. If you happen to be a southerner who has a habit of smiling and nodding and saying hello to strangers, you'll have your feelings hurt for the first few days when time after time people look away or just ignore your expressions of friendliness. The trains themselves are clean and reasonably comfortable. The schedules are generally on time. The one issue I've had/seen while riding the T a few times is that at certain stops the driver will only open the very front door, so if you are in the last car, you better hustle to the front door or you'll be stuck on that train till the next stop! Other than that, you can hop on and off the T and travel safely and quickly from point A to point B with ease. Transferring from one line to another is simple and you only need to scan your Charlie Card one time at the station or when you first get onto the T at a stop. After that, you're good until you go outside of a station. This is no NY city subway! A woman alone can feel safe even after dark. The cars are clean and there are staff at most stations you can always ask for directions if you have any trouble at all with the maps. Get yourself a Charlie Card for $18 for a 7-day pass and you can see all of Boston without having to bother with driving or parking a car. Enjoy the T and you'll enjoy your visit to Boston!

Boston has a modest and reasonably efficient public transportation system known as "The T." The primary means to pay your fare is with Charlie tickets (somewhat similar to Metro tickets in Washington DC and Brussels) can be purchased with a set value and "recharged" at fare machines with cash, credit cards, or old MBTA tokens. As of July 1, 2012, fares have increased significantly. A single ride ticket for the ENTIRE subway system now costs $2.50, while a local bus ride costs $2.00, and the inner harbor ferry costs $3.00. Also, formerly "free" rides on the surface Green Line outbound now cost $2.50.

The prices are so high to encourage use of the new Charlie Card, a "rechargeable" plastic card with stored value (similar to the cards used in London and Washington DC). Fares using the Charlie Card are $2.00 per subway ride (includes transfer to local buses) and $1.50 for the local bus (including free transfer to other buses in one direction, and transfer to the subway for $0.50). You can purchase a Charlie Card online for no charge above the pre-stored fare (e.g., $10 for a card pre-loaded with $10 fare).

For commuters and tourists, there is an item called the "Link Pass," which, according to the website, will cover most of the transit system. A $70 monthly pass covers subway and local bus. Daily and weekly passes are available for tourists, covering the inner harbor ferry and Zone 1 of Commuter Rail in addition to subway and local buses. A 1-day Link Pass costs $11, while a 7-day pass costs $18. Monthly passes can be purchased online, while weekly and daily passes cannot.

We found the T really easy to use - get a charlie card and your journeys are all $1.70 instead ot $2. It's easy to use the machines to put more cash on your card. They work much the same as oyster cards.

The T is different to the London Underground in that the people appear much more polite. Although the T gets very busy at peak time there isn't this everyman for themselves attitude that you get in London. Much less scary.

I used to rather enjoying riding the T in Boston (link to guide below) .

Composed of four color-coded lines — red, green, blue, and orange — the T can take you most places throughout downtown Boston.
The Green line trains (also called "streetcars" or "trolleys") offer a rather spectacularly rocky ride in certain spots, I used to get it to Allston for my musical soirees. You could start off in a tunnel, ratting away from side to side, hanging on for dear life and then be trundling along a street where the T had suddenly become a tram-like vehicle.

The T appears to be quite logically arranged : 'Inbound' is always toward downtown Boston and 'Outbound' is away from it'. - although I have been on the T with a longtime Boston resident, who got us going in the wrong direction quite some way before I noticed! (I must have been used to the confusion of the London Underground he he ).

Irrelevant Observation : There used to be quite a large amount of men carrying large bunches of flowers on the Boston T. Hmm

The T is Boston's subway system. This is in my opinion the best subway system in the US. It is safe, clean, and easy to use. It will get you to or very close to where you want to go.

The majority of rides generally cost $1.25 for regular fares. High school students and under pay $.60, and seniors and disabled pay $.35. Some routes have different fare schedules.

Just a general tip - if you don't know where you are going, pay attention to all stops, because it is hard to figure out what "shsgkantzflfdl" means when the operator announces the next stop.

Check the website for a map and more information.

A visitors pass might be a good idea if you plan on riding the public transportation frequently. This allows unlimited travel on the T, inner harbor ferries, and buses.

A 1-day pass costs $7.50, a 3-day costs $18.00, and a 7-day costs $35.00. You can buy passes at certain stations or online. Check the website for more info.

Do yourself a favor, don't try to drive around Boston. If you drove to get to Boston, leave your car at the hotel and take the T! Driving in Boston could quite honestly ruin your trip. Not only are the roads croweded but I swear, with the big dig, the roads literally change overnight. The T is the local subway system and it is EASY to use. Please don't be intimidated by the T, it is nothing like the confusing NYC subway system. It is pretty clean and the maps are quite simple to understand. If you are on the T and you get totally turned around - look for a your person to ask directions. Boston is FULL of college students who know there way around and are not out to get you. Find a friendly, young face and quietly ask directions.

If you're visiting Boston for a weekend and would like to avoid a major headache, park your car somewhere away from downtown and take the T into the city. Good places to do that are Riverside station. It's right near the interchange between Route 128 and the Mass Pike. Also Alewife station on the Red Line, if you're coming in from the North or by Route 2. But if you're planning to live in Boston, don't expect a fast commute anywhere unless you're riding a bike. The T is actually terribly overcrowded, slow and unreliable. I cannot recount the number of times that I was riding a bus or a train and it broke down or failed to show up according to schedule. It happens way too often. So if you're in Boston for business, or need to get somewhere on time, just take a cab and hope the cabbie knows where he's going or ride a bike like I do. They have a lot of bike courriers in Boston because of all the traffic problems.
I also believe the MBTA is the only public transportation system in the world that has an entire website dedicated to how much it sucks. Check out the link to the bad transit website below: