As part of winter changes to the MBTA’s Better Bus Network, service on the Route 55 will begin running daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting Sunday, Dec. 13, on a similar frequency as today of every 45 to 50 minutes.
The MBTA suspended service on the 55 bus route when the pandemic hit. Service on the line was later restored in June 2021, although the daily hours were reduced to 9:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., from the previous hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The last stop on the line was also changed to Copley Square from Park Street at that time.
MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston said in part: “We heard directly from our community of Route 55 riders as part of our 2022 Bus Network Redesign Study that they wanted this service increase, and this winter’s service updates allow Route 55 riders to take more trips at more times of day, getting them where they need to go when they need to get there.”
The 55 Bus Route Coalition, facilitated by Fenway Forward, intended to celebrate this victory for West Fenway commuters at its Oct. 14 meeting at Fenway Forward’s new Community Learning Lab.
“Thank you to everyone who wrote letters, rallied, showed up to MBTA meetings, and took action for the 55 bus over the past several years,” Jamie Culbertson, a community organizer who facilitates the coalition for Fenway Forward, wrote in an email. “This victory wouldn’t have happened without the community coming together to advocate for the transportation our neighborhood needs. I’m looking forward to celebrating with you all in December.”
Likewise, Conrad Ciszek, a community leader with the coalition, said in a statement” “The expansion of service hours of the Route 55 bus will provide essential and critical transportation service to Fenway residents, employees, students, and visitors with transportation needs throughout the entire day and into the evening. The extended hours arrived in response to a years-long effort of advocacy and persistence by the community.”
Last October, the coalition spearheaded a well-attended grass-roots rally to lobby for extended hours on the bus route.
Nearly 30 participants then joined the rally, which started with a 55 bus ride along from Queensberry Street at Jersey Street to St James Avenue at Arlington Street and concluded at the MBTA headquarters at 10 Park Plaza. They included Fenway residents and bus riders; Fenway Forward organizers; elected officials, including Sen. Lydia Edwards and Rep. Jay Livingstone; and representatives from the offices of other elected officials, including from District 8 City Councilor Sharon Durkan and City Councilor at-Large Henry Santana’s offices.
Meanwhile, other newly implemented Better Bus Network changes are also soon being made to the Routes 74 and 75, which provide service from Belmont Center to Harvard.