I am dumb.
Wow. I’m really dumb. The MBTA is actually pretty smart– they changed the Chahlie Cahd around, so the combo pass (unlimited subway + bus) is cheaper. But… they did away with the monthly subway pass. Why? They still have a bus-only pass! They also still have monthly subway passes for the Orange, Blue and Red lines (as long as you don’t get off at Quincy Adams, Braintree, or Quincy Center– then you have to pay the exit fee). WTF? Why not the Green Line? The Green Line is the suckiest one–it’s a streetcar for more than half it’s route, so it’s especially slow, since it has to deal with the whims of traffic. That is SO BOSTON– make everything as complex as possible. It wasn’t enough that above-ground green line stops are free outbound, and all inbound stops above ground are $1.25 in cash, or one bus fare on a card, except for the D line between Reservoir and Fenway where it’s $1.50, and is $3.00 if you get on past Reservoir (luckily I’m not a rich person who can afford to live out there anyway).
So, like an idiot, I bought a combo pass for $60. The Subway passes used to be $44– I figured $16 more wouldn’t kill me… until I did the math. If I paid in cash every time I rode the train to work and back, it would add up to only $50 in one month. D’oh! Oh well, I can take the bus to work part of the way from now on– that makes the trip way faster. Besides, I like being able to hop on the train and go wherever whenever. I got off at Hynes a couple of times on my way home from work to go to the Newbury Street store, which has a bigger selection of stuff than my store. It’s nice to be able to make pit stops on the way to and from places without having to pay again.
Did I really just spend this whole entry bitching about the state of public transportation? Yup, it sure looks like it. Blah. I have to go get some catfood now.
