The pandemic depressed travel on most modes of transportation, but the impact has not been the same everywhere.
On the MBTA, ridership remains way down on the bus, subway, and commuter rail systems, but some routes and lines have done better than others. The number 16 bus, which serves Dorchester, is back to 87 percent of its pre-pandemic ridership, the highest level for any route in the system. The 111 and 116 buses, which serve Revere, Chelsea, and Everett, are back to more than 70 percent of their pre-COVID ridership.
The Blue Line, which serves East Boston and Revere, has been the top-performing subway line since the pandemic began. And the Fairmount commuter rail line, which serves Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park, has retained more of its pre-COVID ridership (39 percent) than any other line.
New data released this week on Uber and Lyft usage follows a similar pattern. Overall, the number of Uber and Lyft trips was down 62 percent statewide in 2020 compared to 2019, but usage varied quite dramatically depending on the community.
In many of the state’s poorer Gateway City communities, rideshare trips were down significantly less than in wealthier communities. Fall River usage was down 23 percent. Brockton was off 31 percent, New Bedford 33 percent, Lawrence 40 percent, and Lowell and Lynn 42 percent. In Worcester, Everett, Revere, Chelsea, Fitchburg, and Springfield, the number of Uber and Lyft trips was down between 50 and 55 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.
By contrast, the decline in Uber and Lyft trips in 2020 exceeded the statewide average of 62 percent in many wealthier communities. Cambridge was down 71 percent; Belmont and Wellesley 68 percent; Somerville, Brookline, Lexington, and Concord down 67 percent; and Newton 66 percent.
Alison Felix, a senior transportation planner and emerging technologies specialist at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, said the income level of a community appears to have had a major impact on transportation usage during the pandemic.
According to Felix, who commented after consulting with her colleagues, residents of higher-income communities tend to hold jobs that have allowed them to work from home during the pandemic, reducing their need for both transit and Uber and Lyft rides.
Felix said many lower-income communities are home to essential workers who have to go to work and can’t remain at home. She said many of them have been wary of public transit during COVID, so she suspects they continued to use rideshare, which would explain why the number of Uber and Lyft trips in their communities has declined less than elsewhere.
BRUCE MOHL
FROM COMMONWEALTH
Vaccine lottery: It started with free coffees and Museum of Science tickets, but now the state is pulling out all the stops in its bid to promote more COVID-19 vaccinations. The Lottery is preparing to roll out a new game featuring five $1 million cash prizes for adults and five $300,000 scholarships for children 12 to 17. There will be one drawing a week between July 26 and August 27. “If you’re not vaccinated, you can’t play,” says Gov. Charlie Baker. Read more.
Allen makes it official: Harvard University professor Danielle Allen launches her campaign for governor promising to unite the people of Massachusetts and address the inequities that COVID has laid bare. Allen is a scholar of ancient Greece, a first-time candidate, and the first African-American woman to run for governor. She is the second Democrat to officially get into the race; the first was former state senator Ben Downing. Read more.
Emergency extensions: The Legislature passed and sent to the governor a bill restoring the authorization for certain orders that lapsed with the expiration of the state of emergency on Tuesday. Included were authorizations for remote meetings of public bodies and eviction protections, as well as to-go cocktails. Lawmakers couldn’t reach agreement on everything, so they said they may add additional authorizations in a future bill. Read more.
Marijuana funds sought: At a legislative hearing, would-be minority marijuana entrepreneurs called for the state to provide capital funding that would allow them to get their businesses off the ground. State social equity programs give minorities a leg up in the marijuana licensing process, but that help doesn’t mean much if they lack the capital to open their businesses. Since marijuana is illegal at the federal level, bank loans are scarce. Read more.
OPINION
She-cession remedy: Mary Kinsella Scannell of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester and Linda Dorcena Forry of Suffolk Construction say emerging from the “she-cession” hinges on the availability of family supports, primarily child care. Read more.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Andover voted Tuesday to borrow money to build a new combined elementary and preschool and to pay for the town’s unfunded pension liability. The initiatives will raise taxes above the state-approved levy. (Eagle-Tribune)
The select board in Fairhaven votes 2-1 not to fly the LGBTQ+ Pride flag at town hall, with one member citing the “slippery slope” of flying flags supporting various causes. (South Coast Today)
The Worcester City Council approves a pension petition from police officer Manny Familia’s family. (CBS4)
HEALTH/HEALTH CARE
Striking nurses at St. Vincent’s Hospital say their resolve will not be broken as the labor dispute with the Worcester hospital passes the 100-day mark. (Boston Globe)
Lawrence moved from the state’s red, high-risk, zone for COVID-19 transmission into green, low-risk, within three weeks. Mayor Kendrys Vasquez attributes the progress to vaccination efforts including a community block party where 100 residents got a jab. (Eagle-Tribune)
A Salem firm agreed to pay $3.5 million to the state for failing to deliver more than 900,000 masks to the state in the early days of the pandemic. The payment was part of a settlement negotiated by the attorney general’s office. (WBUR)
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
The CFO of former president Donald Trump’s company could face charges as soon as this summer in the Manhattan district attorney’s probe of potential financial wrongdoing in the firm. (New York Times)
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is threatening to veto a bill legalizing and taxing marijuana because the legislation doesn’t do enough to assure equity in the emerging industry. (Hartford Courant)
ELECTIONS
James Lyons, the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, says “cancel culture” compelled him to call off a GOP fundraising event at which Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw was scheduled to speak later this month. The decision is one more ripple in the wake of anti-gay remarks by state committee woman Deborah Martell. (Eagle-Tribune)
Mayoral candidate Michelle Wu says her plan for the problems centered around Mass. Ave and Melnea Cass Blvd include looking to use city property to build supportive housing for those battling addiction. (Boston Herald)
A pro-growth group that includes the Carpenters Union and developers will spend at least $500,000 to influence the Boston mayor’s race — but may not necessarily endorse a candidate. (Boston Globe)
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Some say Boston has become the Silicon Valley of biotech. (Boston Globe)
Former Celtics star Paul Pierce pivots to pot purveyance. (Boston Globe)
ARTS/CULTURE
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $2.7 billion to 286 arts organizations, including four in the Boston area — the Hyde Square Task Force, Zumix, The Theater Offensive, and the New England Foundation for the Arts. (WBUR)
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax will play an in-person benefit concert next month to benefit Greenagers, a youth-driven land stewardship nonprofit. (Berkshire Eagle)
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
The owner of a steam plant that heats and cools much of downtown Boston wants to “decarbonize” it by converting the steam from being gas- to electricity-generated. (Boston Globe)
A proposal to renovate Chebacco Road in Hamilton could reduce runoff and preserve a major source of drinking water for Manchester, but the project will require both towns to agree to an Article 97 land transfer and appeal to the state Legislature. (Salem News)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
The Biden administration Justice Department is asking the US Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, which was thrown out last year by the First Circuit Court of Appeals. (Boston Globe)
The state and several district attorneys say they won’t be using Breathalyzer tests as uncertainty about their accuracy continues to cloud cases employing the devices. (Patriot Ledger)