Zipcar, Bridj, and Wrong-Way Trips: Pseudo-Solutions to Boston’s Horrible Commute
If you took the T to or from work over the last couple of days, it was probably less fun than usual. You may have watched a couple of buses and trains zoom by before you could squeeze aboard. Once you did manage to get through the doors, it likely wasn’t a comfortable ride. Such is life, when the T’s operations have been slowed to a crawl by the weather—and on top of that, crowds are flocking into town for a Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday.
And if you sought an alternative to the T—such as Uber—you weren’t alone. That increased demand led to increased prices. Even a good old-fashioned cab ride would probably cost you more than you’d like to spend, given the congestion on the roads.
It’s clear enough that normal thinking wasn’t going to make the last couple of days’ commutes more bearable. To show up to work in a better-than-bad mood required getting a little counter-intuitive.
Like…
Renting a car.
Well, sort of. Weary commuter Mark Orlowski emailed Boston.com Wednesday to laud Zipcar’s relatively new OneWay system. Zipcar’s traditional model allows customers to borrow a car, but they have to bring it back to the spot from which they got it. The beta OneWay program is available only in Boston, and allows Zipcar members (that’s the catch—you’ve got to be a member) to rent a car for a one-way trip at $5 per half-hour of usage.
Orlowski rented a car in Cambridge and got to work downtown. It wasn’t a quick commute—it still took an hour and a half, costing $15, plus tax. Orlowski, who is the executive director at the Sustainable Endowments Institute, brought along two coworkers. As the boss, he covered the trip, but on a per-head basis that would be $5 a rider. That’s not cheaper than the T, but over the last two days, it was at least more comfortable. The OneWay cars also have the benefit of a dedicated parking spot on both the pick-up and drop-off location.
Offering free rides.
This move wasn’t made by commuters, but for them. The urban bus startup Bridj decided to try and take advantage of the ugly commute Tuesday by offering free rides for the rest of the week. Bridj only provides trips between a few neighborhoods, but if you live and work in them, and you download the app, this was the cheapest way to get to and from.
That’s not altruistic. The benefit to Bridj, which generally charges $3 per trip during its ongoing beta phase, is that it stands to introduce a whole bunch of people to its service while the T struggles. Tuesday’s circumstances practically begged for the move.
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Bridj made it shortly thereafter, first offering rides for a penny…
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…before knocking the price down another cent.
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Bridj extended the deal Tuesday night, with a new code for the rest of the week:
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Taking the T the other way.
With platforms and trains crowded, many passengers have had to wait for a train or two to go by before they could finally get en route. It was easy enough to take the hint: If trains were too full to get on at their station, then they may be less full a few stations back. Ergo, as captured on Twitter, some Orangle Line riders took the train toward the Oak Grove terminal in order to get on an empty train at that station.
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That didn’t guarantee comfort, but at least it meant a ride.
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