Oh, goody! We get to check out the first of several express buses on the MBTA network! Well, let’s look at them all and what’s in store…Lynn, Oaklandvale, Brighton, Waltham, Watertown, Salem, and …North Burlington??? Huh, that’s not a lot. Well, I’ll be sure to cover all of them eventually. In the interim, however, here’s Lynn’s express bus. Meet: the 426- WAIT IT COSTS $4.25?! WHAT THE FUCK, THAT’S EVEN MORE THAN A SUBWAY FARE!!!!! HOLY FUCK! Oh dear…
So, all seven express bus routes originate at various points in downtown Boston (the 354 originates at Government Center, the 426, 428, and 450 originate at Haymarket, and the 501, 504, and 505 originate at Downtown Crossing) and take various highways out to the suburbs. In the case of the 426 and 428, they run locally out to Charlestown ever so slightly before getting on US-1 and the Tobin Bridge. This is where the unholy $4.25 fare comes in. That surcharge – THAT DAMN SURCHARGE IS TO COVER THE TOLL ON THE TOBIN BRIDGE! Anyways, we expressed down US-1 for quite a bit and got off the Squire Road exit. From here, it was pretty much just a normal local bus. Weekend runs originate at Wonderland instead and carry a normal $1.70 bus fare. Moving on, the route runs through Saugus and through Cliftondale Square, turning down Lincoln Avenue and crossing the Saugus River into Lynn. Of course, it was stop and go traffic (it’s Lynn), and it took a bit from here. However, eventually, after crawling the streets of Lynn, we made it to the old Commuter Rail station’s busway, making it to the end of the route.
The good: It gives people in Lynn and Saugus an alternative to the Blue Line and Commuter Rail into Boston! Also, it’s a local bus for these areas! And, on top of that, ridership is decent both at Haymarket and beyond US-1.
The bad: THAT. $4.25. FARE. OH HELL NAW!
Nearby points of interest: Didn’t see much along the route, sadly…
Overall, the route’s important and it’s very important indeed, both as a downtown direct and a suburban local route. However, that fare though……ugh.
Rating: 6/10. Would’ve been a 7 if the fare was $2.40 or less.
