As a replacement for the Charles River Transportation Management Association's Landward and Riverside Shuttles, MIT and partners have started a new shuttle service that links Kendall Square with west campus and businesses at the end of Vassar Street.
The new shuttle began on a trial basis on Monday, Feb. 1. Continuation of the service will hinge on funding and ridership.
The Tech Shuttle operated by the CRTMA will offer more frequent trips and added stops compared to the old shuttle service, which began operating in August 1997 and stopped running last week when one of the corporate partners bowed out.
The new shuttle will run every 20 minutes rather than every 30 minutes. With a six-minute trip from the end of Vassar Street to Kendall Square three times an hour, the shuttle offers a convenient connection for lunch, running errands, shopping or getting to the Red Line. It also has a new stop at 84 Massachusetts Ave. outside the Stratton Student Center, as well as stops along Amherst Alley, so residents of Tang Hall and Westgate will no longer have to walk to the corner of Amesbury and Vassar to board the shuttle.
Tech Shuttle will stop at the corner of Hayward and Amherst Streets to serve the Sloan School. The schedule can get riders to Kendall Square at 8:15am in plenty of time for 8:30am classes.
CRTMA quickly started the new service under time and funding constraints and may need some time to iron out the bugs, but the organization welcomes comments. Contact Jim Gascoigne of CRTMA at coin1@mit.edu.
The schedule for the Tech Shuttle is given below and is also on line. Service runs Monday through Friday starting at 7:15am and ending at 7:15pm in Kendall Square.
The shuttle arrives back at Kendall Square a moment before its next departure. Vehicles are operated by Paul Revere Transportation are white with blue trim. Look for the maroon Tech Shuttle window and header signs.
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Stop: Kendall Sq./MBTA
Location: Main St., Boston-bound side
Minutes past the hour: :15������������������:35������������������:55
Stop: Hayward at Amherst
Location: corner
Stop: Building 39
Location: rear of building
Stop: 84 Mass. Ave.
Location: MBTA bus stop
Minutes past the hour: :22������������������:42������������������:02
Stop: Burton House
Location: corner of Fowler and Amherst
Stop: Tang/Westgate
Location: Amherst across from sculpture
Minutes past the hour: :25������������������:45������������������:05
Stop: Professional Learning Ctr.
Location: Audrey St. at Vassar
Stop: 600-620 Memorial
Location: 600 Memorial Dr.
Stop: Vassar/Amesbury
Location: corner
Minutes past the hour: :28������������������:48������������������:08
Stop: Vassar/Mass Ave
Location: MBTA bus stop across from ATM
Stop: Building 39
Location: rear of building
Stop: Kendall Sq./MBTA
Location: arrives a moment before next departure
* The shuttle will make all stops on every trip. For stops without a designated time, add one minute to the time of the previous stop.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on February 3, 1999.
