Busses from Newton to Downtown (living in, buses, safer)

[Zack886]

Hi all,

I am going to be starting a new job downtown in a few weeks (5 minute walk from South Station), and am hoping to live somewhere in the suburbs that will leave me with the fastest commute. It seems that the best option is the Newtonville/Newton Corner area since there are several buses that get on the Pike right there and would basically drop me off in front of my office. My question is: Does anyone have experience taking the 553, 554, or 504 buses from Newton to downtown during rush hour? How long does it actually take in traffic?

Thanks!

[miu]

Why not take those buses ahead of time and ask the bus drivers themselves?

[Zack886]

I would, but I can't take the time off from work.

[miu]

Well the first day you plan to take one of those buses, leave extra extra early. Since they travel on the Mass Pike, they will get stuck in traffic just like any private car traveling the same route at that time of day. There is no special MBTA bus lane that allows them to bypass the traffic flow.

Taking the the commuter train would be a safer bet for staying on schedule than one of those MBTA express buses.

[millerm277]

Originally Posted by Zack886

Hi all,

I am going to be starting a new job downtown in a few weeks (5 minute walk from South Station), and am hoping to live somewhere in the suburbs that will leave me with the fastest commute. It seems that the best option is the Newtonville/Newton Corner area since there are several buses that get on the Pike right there and would basically drop me off in front of my office. My question is: Does anyone have experience taking the 553, 554, or 504 buses from Newton to downtown during rush hour? How long does it actually take in traffic?

Thanks!

Why on earth would you try to take the bus when there's commuter rail right there that goes to South Station, and isn't affected by traffic?

[Bob Lanata]

I vote for the commuter rail as well. Get there early too

[claiz]

I use Express Bus from Newtonville to South Station when I was living in Newtonville. I love the bus since I can track GPS location using apps and minimize the wait time. Buses are quick. 20-25 mins from Newtonville to South Station was the commute time for me usually. I go to work relatively early (in 7 in the morning back 4 in the afternoon) so no traffic at all, but I imagine rush hour can be bad.

[miu]

I think that it would really be helpful to know when the OP needs to be at work downtown in the morning. The morning rush hour is a long period time, several hours in length.

[shiver]

I think if you use the trip planner function on the MBTA website, it'll show you the average trip time for that trip at that time of day Just make sure to plug in a weekday at like 8AM. That should give you some idea.

[Zack886]

Thanks for your responses everyone. Unfortunately I would be taking the bus during standard commuting times (i.e. leaving around 8am, coming back around 5:30pm). The MBTA trip planner says the bus would only take 23 minutes when leaving 8am on a Monday, but that seems like too little. I will continue to investigate!