Dec 4, 2008 11:06 am US/Eastern
Red Line Pilot Program Gets Rid Of Seats In 2 Cars
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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The cars have no seats to allow more passengers to board.
MBTA
The
MBTA is testing out a new pilot program on two of their Red Line cars.
T spokesperson Joe Pesaturo tells WBZ that officials are taking the seats out of two of the 218 cars that make up the Red Line fleet to create more standing room.
Pesaturo stressed this is only a pilot program. He said he was not sure how long it would last, but did say the T was going to get feedback from riders once the program ended.
The seatless cars have a "Big Red: High Capacity Car" sign posted at each door. "What we're doing is trying to do everything we can to try and address what we're hearing from some of the new riders and our longtime riders, which is… overcrowding, particularly during the peak period," said MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas.
Initially it was reported the T was getting rid of seats on
two cars of each Red Line train, but Pesaturo assured WBZ that was not the case.
T Ridership has gradually increased over the past few months, and new numbers out on Thursday indicate it is still on the rise – up 5 percent in October, and that was when gas fell below $3 a gallon.
The program was launched to see if the removed seats would add more space during heavy traffic hours.
WBZ wants to know if you think this is a good idea.
Join the conversation on wbztv.com.
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