MBTA Bus Route 73

[73 — inbound to Harvard sq — Belmont opp Cushing]
During peak hours (7 am-​9 am) expect a couple buses to pass by. Although the 73 does come frequently it is also so packed that many stops get passed. For this reason the 73 is not a reliable mode of transportation in the morning. I am often late to work because 3 – 4 buses pass by my stop. I have to walk 3 stops up the line to even consider being picked up. So going out and waiting early does not guarantee that you will have a better chance of being picked up.
I have called the T numerous times and get a similar response that there is nothing they can do and to write a letter to our congressman.

Infrequent and Unsafe
I recently moved to Belmont on the 73 bus line. I’m disappointed that the 73 bus runs so infrequently that it’s almost always overcrowded to an UNSAFE extent. It’s so crowded that you cannot easily fit anything onto the bus that won’t fit on your lap. (This is bad news for those who cannot drive and have to take everything they buy on the bus. Also bad news for disabled people who cannot easily navigate crowds and sometimes fall down or into things/​other people. Thirdly, bad news for parents, keep reading…)
The front of the bus is also often overcrowded with baby strollers stuffed into the bus so that it’s difficult to exit. Anyone carrying shopping bags has to lift the bags OVER the babies in the strollers. If it hasn’t happened already, one of those cheap plastic shopping bags is bound to break at the wrong moment causing injury to the kids. If I were sitting in a stroller in the middle of the aisle with people squeezing by and carrying stuff over me, I’d be afraid.
I think the 73 bus in an unpleasant accident waiting to happen. If I were the MBTA, I would make that bus more frequent or at least enforce some more safety guidelines.
Some Solutions:
–More frequent service
–More safety guidelines (disallowing passengers to block the aisle/​exit)
–Designing a bus with more standing room (similar to «Big Red» MBTA subway cars) would keep aisle/​exit from being blocked

I live in Waverley Square, so I get to sit on 73 on the way to work in the mornings. The bus is reliable. If I don’t make the 7:24am bus, the next one is at 7:28am. Always on time, most of the time anyway.
The bus drivers are a different story. Some are very nice, considerate, good hearted, caring. Others are miserable haters who hit every pothole (especially during the Trapelo Road construction this summer), hit the curb and a few traffic lights, and are mean to passengers.
There’s this one idiot driver who a few weeks ago refused to open the back door for a lady with a baby in a stroller and a 3 – 4 yeard old daughter who couldn’t walk down the bus’ aisle, because another passenger was completely blocking it by some sort of shopping cart. The woman with the stroller nicely asked the driver to open the back door, she would come and pay up front. The driver started yelling and screaming that he is not supposed to open the back door. A few of us asked him to open the back door as the aisle was blocked. He finally open it. The woman backed out with the stroller and just when her little daughter was about to jump off the bus, the driver closed the door and crushed the little girl’s shoulders. I was furious. So was her mother and a few other passengers. I was waiting to catch the driver’s operating number so I can report him, but it never showed up. When we got to Waverley Square, I paid the fare and asked for his name. That’s when he started yelling profanities at me, spit was coming out of his mouth. I reported him, but without his number, I don’t think much will happen to him.
All in all, I don’t mind taking bus 73. It’s reliable, my fellow passengers are decent, and it gets me to and from work.

this bus SUCKS. Other day it smelled like a dead animal, so the driver kept the back door open at stops. Then the Chinese guy with bags of Chinese food on the ride home. On the way today there’s a «anti-​establishment» youth with an Ipod and a SPEAKER BLASTING. Some drivers are good, some are horrible. And lately they have a thing about stopping and «alerting» cars parked in bus zones that they can’t park there — talk about anal. Just smile and wave. Yeah this is the ultimate suck of buses. I was late 30 mins today because the every 10 minute schedule became 25 mins and a broken antenna thing RIGHT before Harvard. Pieces of crap. MBTA needs a MAJOR overhaul — fire EVERYONE and just start over. It’s past the point of no return. Screw the T — buy a piece of junk

Seriously, for a bus line this one rocks. It is almost always on time, comes frequently during the morning rush hours and the drivers are so friendly. It does get a bit crowded during the evening rush but they do try to keep it moving. Like all public transportation, it has its bad days but all in all this is a great bus line.

12:28am — I arrive at the Harvard T stop slightly inebriated from the private party I just attended at Charley’s on Newbury Street.
«Sweet, I have plenty of time to sober up and write lesson plans for my social skills group tomorrow. Six hours of sleep ain’t bad!»
12:34am — Waiting for the 73 bus.
«Here comes one… it’s…the 71.»
12:47am — Still waiting. The crowd grows larger.
«Here comes one… it’s…the 77. Here’s another one… the 71.»
1:00am — I look, with frustration, at the man sitting next to me. He returns a similar look. We become friends. His name is Raymond. I don’t think he’s drunk.
«I’m Raymond. Good to meet you. I’m so damn tired. All I wanna do is go home and take these wet shoes off. I’ve been out on the water all day.»
1:05am — My friend Raymond, who may or may not be drunk, tells me he knows very important people in Belmont and Watertown. I mention that the roads in Belmont are horrible and I live in Watertown right now, but I’m thinking about moving.
«It’s too bad I’m so tired. Any other day, I’d make a phone call and have that road fixed for ya. Tomorrow. You know the New York Diner? Go talk to the owner and tell him Raymond sent you. He’ll have you living and eating for free. As long as you do good, you’ll be treated good. I know some important people.»
1:06am — I start typing Raymond’s contact information into my phone. He doesn’t give me his phone number because he’s too tired. I type «Raymond» and «New York Diner.» That should be sufficient. Raymond shakes my hand and walks to the other side of the bus stop. He paces back and forth for the next 10 minutes. Tired. In wet shoes. Probably drunk.
«It was nice meeting you.»
1:10am — No signs of bus activity. I say fuck.
«Fuck.»
1:12am — Three very drunk, very aggressive youngsters come up the ramp to the buses. One of them sits next to me, asks me what time it is, and asks when the bus is supposed to arrive. They say fuck a lot more than I do.
«I could go for some fuckin Wendy’s and some more fuckin booze right now. I’m fuckin starving. Hey, you got a fuckin watch? When’s this fuckin bus supposed to get here? Fuck.»
1:20 — The 73 arrives. Finally. Raymond comes back and tells me he just found out a secret.
«Come here a second. I gotta tell you this secret. I talked to the guy in charge and he told me the last 73 bus doesn’t come til 1:10, but it was late tonight.» Thanks Raymond.
1:30am — Sitting on the 73 bus. Not going anywhere. The three drunks scurry onto the bus after realizing they had gotten on the 71, instead of the 73. I’m so glad they made it. Raymond has some words with them.
«When’s this bus gonna fuckin leave?»
«Be good.»
«Quiet old man, I just got out of jail on a 3 to 5. I just wanna go fuck my girlfriend.»
«If you keep using that language, I’m gonna kick you off this bus. Oh look, here comes my friend (nodding at the bus driver).»
[Bus driver walks by, doesn’t acknowledge Raymond]
1:40am — We leave the bus station. Raymond and the drunks keep arguing. Apparently, one of the drunks is highly skilled in mixed martial arts. And using the f-​word. This should be fun.
1:42am One of the drunks asks to borrow my cell phone to call his 17 year old girlfriend who is also drunk and lost on Mass Ave. I try to respond rationally, but Raymond beats me to it.
«No, you can’t borrow it. Sorry, I thought you were asking me. His answer is no.»
1:45am — The drunks jump off bus without paying. Raymond tries to chase them, but the bus driver won’t open the back door in order for him to do so. Raymond is upset, but I’m thankful he wasn’t murdered.
1:49am — I arrive at my house, take a shower, and write lesson plans. I go to bed at 2:40am.
Dear 73 bus,
I hate your face.

I live in this magical area where Belmont, Cambridge, and Watertown converge. At one point I lived closer to the Belmont side of things, and would stand in frustration in the Harvard Sq bus terminal watching all of the glorious 71’s go by, taking people to the mystical area of Watertown, where things seemed to happen on schedule.
It got to the point where I would just skip waiting for the 73 and get off where the buses diverge (in front of the totally redone Star Market with the huge booze selection) and walk the rest of the way.
I also really liked it when they plowed all the snow up onto the bus stop on Belmont Street, so that I was literally able to bend down and pet the top of of the bus sign. Adding adventures such as ice mountain climbing to your day is always a good thing.

The 71 and the 73 are best buddies. But they split up exactly when things get interesting. The 73 gets stuck going to Belmont, while the 71 goes into Watertown which actually has things to do.
The 73 is a breath of fresh air since it actually follows its schedule. Not well, but like, they might actually have dispatchers out here!
They really really need to fix the reliability issues with the electric buses. The fact that the buses practically need to stop when the weather is poor is just plain stupid and makes diesel seem like a good idea (which it isn’t).

I don’t get it. How does this bus have a semi-​decent overall rating? In all categories, it fails me. I can’t only really justify the single star I’ve given it by saying that at least it’s cleaner that the T.
It’s completely unreliable. «Every 10 Minutes» in the morning usually means more like every 20 minutes, and at that, the first bus you see will generally pass you by so you end up on the next, very full, one. I’m near the beginning of the route, so it doesn’t make sense that they’d already be passing people.
Add to that the fact that my commute to Harvard Square during peak hours usually takes 30 – 45 minutes, the consistent overcrowding on the ride home at 5:30pm, and the inevitable bad drivers, and you have my own personal hell.
On the bad driver tip…
1. A couple of weeks ago I was on the 73 on Trapelo Rd, right behind another 73 bus. It was too close to the side and clipped the side view mirror of a parked car right off. And kept going.
2. Once I had this older big-​haired blonde woman who pulled over at the stop right before Harvard Station, and stood in the front doorway chatting with another T employee. We had to get out and walk all the way around EMS, etc to get down to the T, because when we collectively asked her to do her damn job, she refused.
3. Beware the «young dude.» He wears a chain wallet and is usually sipping what looks like smoothie made from the souls of his passengers, and wreaks of cigarettes (not that cigarettes are a universally offensive scent, I just want you to know it’s him). He looks like he might be 21 or so. His methods of stopping and starting are more nausea-​inducing than your grandmother’s.

Living in Belmont there’s not terribly much to do. Especially since up until recently it was a dry town. Growing up here this dullness was rather apparent. This is a quiet little town and that’s how its resident like it.
Thank God for the 73, giving me mobility beyond my own means. Clean, reliable (–ish) and only 20 minutes from Waverly to Harvard Square (where there actually are things to do.) It’s enough for me to forgive it for not always being on time on weekends. Though with the every thirty minute scheduling on Sundays it’s sometimes best to rely on something else those days.
Well, at least it’s devoid of the crazies I became so accustomed to on San Francisco buses.

Oh, if there were LESS than one star, THIS bus line AND it’s kuntry kousin, the 71, would get that rating.
These bus lines SUCK big time. They run with NO consistency, you will seldom have a seat if you are trying to get into Harvard Square on a weekday between 7:30am-8:50am (unless you get on in Belmont at Waverly Square).
Often, the bus drivers will PASS you up and not even acknowledge you or motion to you that there is another bus coming. Rudeness!
Many times these buses run in bunches. Here’s a tip, fellow Unilocaler-​if you go out to your stop and notice that 3 (yes, 3) buses have just passed your stop: call your boss, you’re going to be late. See, the next bus won’t come for 20 minutes, it will be full and pass you by, the next one will come in 7 minutes, it will be full and pass you by, then finally one will come in 10 minutes, and you MAY get on, IF the bus driver is KIND enough to LET you SQUEEZE into a space through the back doors.
I won’t even begin to tell you what happens to these buses (⁷³⁄₇₁) when it rains, or heaven forbid-​snows. Okay, you want a tidbit of what happens, you say– how about maybe one bus every 45 minutes, it’s full, and instead of waiting another 45 minutes (during morning rush hour, mind you), you walk to the next bus stop hoping for a cab, there are 19 – 20 people doing the same thing, and a nice cab driver lets 8 of you complete strangers PILE into his cab to get to Harvard Square for the Red Line. No joke, folks.

I wish I loved the 73 five stars worth!!! I like much about this bus. Most of the bus drivers are friendly & considerate. The bus does run frequently and during peak hours you can generally just go out to your stop and one will come along pretty shortly. And as noted, you can wait inside when you’re heading back to Waverly from Harvard Square.
Drawbacks: If you take a bus headed to Harvard Square between 7:30am and 8:30 am (many, many folks) and live AFTER the Belmont border of Cambridge, then you will experience the oh so frustrating delight of many MANY buses passing you by, theoretically too full for you. I have actually watched 3 buses pass me buy. And the busdrivers passing you buy point back like another bus is even visible. HAH! It can still be a 10 minute wait, which just about guarantees that that bus will pass you by as well.
However, one HUGE drawback is that the Sunday schedule doesn’t really get you to Harvard Square until 7am. Which on a Sunday isn’t really a big deal for me as I like to be asleep. However, on «Sunday» holidays, it is a huge issue cuz I work some place I need to be at 7am.

Because I do not want to be a bus-​hater, I gotta shout out Bus 73.
First of all, you can wait for it below ground in Harvard Square, which counts for like a thousand points when the weather sucks. It comes so often that you don’t have to put it in your schedule; with at least half the confidence of waiting at a T stop, you can just show up and know that within a few short minutes you’ll be on your way.
The bus route is quick – Harvard Square to Waverley Square in Belmont and back again. During peak times there are at least 4 buses doing this circle, and the loop takes less than 30 minutes, so you can do the math. Occasionally, the buses get backed up, and you’ll see three in line in Waverley Square. Maybe one of those could get on the 86 route?
It has a raised back end, so you have that nice front-​facing seating that makes reading, knitting, or just staring out the window possible and even pleasurable.
Dependable, frequent, comfortable public transportation. The way it should be. The 73 is one of MBTA’s star pupils and it shows.