Updated
Updated · WCVB Boston · Aug 20
MBTA Removes Shuttle Driver After 10-Mile Wrong Turn During 11-Day Orange Line Shutdown
Updated
Updated · WCVB Boston · Aug 20

MBTA Removes Shuttle Driver After 10-Mile Wrong Turn During 11-Day Orange Line Shutdown

3 articles · Updated · WCVB Boston · Aug 20

Summary

  • MBTA said the shuttle driver who took Orange Line passengers toward Stoneham instead of North Station is no longer working on the service, after the agency apologized for the trip.
  • Thursday's mistake came on the first day of an 11-day shutdown between Oak Grove and Back Bay, when a packed replacement bus headed north on I-93 and riders said the driver asked them for directions.
  • Passenger Eamon Marchant said commuters had to keep directing the driver even after he turned around, and complained he was not using HOV or bus lanes.
  • The episode quickly drew complaints online and added to commuter frustration over the MBTA's substitute service during the Orange Line suspension.

Insights

How did a driver with zero local knowledge end up steering a major city's emergency transit shuttle?
Why are major transit networks trusting critical emergency replacement routes to outsourced drivers who have never visited the city?