MBTA Bus Route 57

Look all you 57 haters, 99% of the suckiness attributable to the 57 is rooted in the suckiness of the route itself, not the bus. If it’s rush hour, and you’re going through Brighton Center or «Allston Village,» or along Comm. Ave by BU with all of the double-​parking ass-​faces, it’s going to take you a long time whatever vehicle you’re in (and obviously a bit longer on the bus because it’s public transportation and so by definition it stops for other people, not just you).
Well and maybe 15% of the suckiness is actually from certain select riders – like the dickheads who wait for 25 minutes at Kenmore, then make the bus stop so they can get off at like BU Central. (WHA??)
But listen, I walk from Brighton Center to Kenmore fairly regularly, and while it’s a nice walk, sometimes you just want to sit a spell and let modern technology do the moving for you, so it’s pretty cool having a bus that will take you.

I have this very very conservative thoughts on one can only tone his/​her body shape by hitting the gym. I was so wrong.
If you’re planning on fitting into some smaller sized pants, hop on to the 57, wait until you need to get off, go to the rear door, ask as polite as you can to have your driver open the rear door, walk out when the door opens.
Don’t worry about the pace you apply when walking out. In return of your well-​mannered request, the courteous driver would monitor your movement through the rear-​view mirror, and SLAM THE SH*T OUT OF YOU while you’re trying to get out.
If I by any change get myself fit in a pair of W28 jeans (currently a W32), I will definitely give 57 drivers credit.
Thank you very much.

How to Survive the 57 Bus
I must say that this bus route is both convenient and the bus runs fairly on time. It beats a cold walk to the T in the winter from Brighton Center. However, just beware that this bus is PACKED! There are three things to be prepared for:
1. Hearing someone saying «Move back»
2. Having your head and body slammed by the back door
3. Possible involuntary groping
Some of the times you will find two 57 buses following each (about 5 minutes apart)…I think they should have two buses that start right from Kenmore– that would probably cut down alot of crowding. I would be willing to pay an extra 10 cents if they could do this!!!

The 57 is only getting an additional star because of the wonderful bus driver who we call «bus mother.» She greets each individual passenger as they get on, has kleenex, candy and hand sanitizer set out for them, and tells everyone to have a good day on their way out.
Other than that, the 57 is ridiculous. I don’t know if they just don’t track ridership, but getting passed by one or two full buses is an everyday occurrence. In some cases I’ve been passed by four full buses.
I’m lucky in that I live early on the line in Brighton Center, so most of the time I can get on the bus to work without a problem in the morning (except for this morning). I feel bad for all of the people who live on Commonwealth, however, because we pass them up almost everyday.
In the afternoons and evenings, however, full buses are the norm. I try to run out of work (I work at BU) right at 5 so I can maybe get that one last empty bus before they all fill up at Kenmore. If I’m out there at 5:10, forget it. When I have class that ends at 9:00pm, I can count on waiting 30 minutes as full buses fly past us. What is a 10 minute trip in the car is a 30 – 60 minute trip by bus by the time you wait for an empty one. In extreme cases it has taken me an hour and a half to get home. That’s an hour and a half to go 3 miles — and not because of any malfunctions or anything, simply because of overcrowding. Last winter I had a bad bout of the flu and stood at a bus stop in 12-​degree weather, shivering so badly I was embarrassed, waiting as three buses passed me up, all after 9pm.
I know people complain about «bus bunching,» where there are two or three buses in a row. On the one hand this is annoying because if you miss one of those you will have to wait a very long time. On the other hand, if the first bus is full you can get on the second one.
Drivers are inconsistent to say the least. Some drive like crazy people, throwing those standing in the aisles around the bus and barreling down the road. Others are friendly, helpful, quick-​but-​safe drivers who are willing to squeeze you on the bus even if it is full.
The Key Bus Route Improvement Program, which they are currently planning, is obsessed with benches and trash cans. Maybe because people are waiting at the stops for such a long time? It’s not clear if the MBTA is even aware of the overcrowding problem. They don’t seem to realize that at certain times of the day (morning rush hour, 5pm dismissal, 9pm night class dismissal) there is going to be an increased need.
I’m sure it’s difficult running a bus system, particularly in the hodgepodge of Boston. But I’ve never seen anything like this. I’d pay $ 100 for my monthly pass if it means I wouldn’t have to worry about being late to work in the morning, getting home at 9:30 on some days and 10:30 on others, etc.
Also, the iPhone apps are nice, but I’m not sure the MBTA information they are based on is correct. Most of the time the apps just add a minute at a time until the bus arrives.
If you are reading this because you are a student coming to BU, or you are looking to move a bit further from downtown to save money, you should know that you cannot rely on the 57 (or the green line, which I take far less often, but sometimes I give up on the bus and just take the green line and walk the rest of the way home).

I. Hate. One. Of. These. Bus. Drivers.
I parked my Mini about ½ of the way in the «bus stop» area in Oak Square (in front of Dunkin’s for my morning coffee). The bus driver that always parks there and leaves his bus off while he watches TV in the Dunks came up to me when I was next in line to order my coffee.
He told me I was going to get a 100 fine for being in the bus stop and that he had a handicapped person in a wheelchair that couldn’t get off. I freaked, ran out, moved my car… then noticed…
He was still inside DD’s, his bus was empty (and shut off), and there were no handicapped people around.
FHL. He is a big, angry, fat, white man with pasty skin and undoubtedly not well hung… If you are trying to avoid him.

I want to give this bus 3 stars because it’s SO convenient. BUT. Everything else about this bus route SUCKS. I took this bus every day for almost three years. Thank ZEUS I work somewhere ELSE so I don’t always have to take this line. When I DO have to take this line, the bad memories FLOOD back. This bus makes the #1 line (which I have also reviewed) deserve FIVE stars.
First of all, it is SO inconsistent. Thanks to NextBus, I am no longer one of those people who are practically crying and/​or fuming with frustration as a bus strolls in 3 999 502 592 059 205 746 688 minutes late, completely full, stopping to pick up more passengers as 4 other EMPTY 57 buses speed past the next 5 stops also full of people so the EXTREMELY FULL BUS picks up those next 5 stops. THAT’S HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE 57!!! Never on time, and the fullest bus ends up picking up all the people. But even WITH NextBus, these buses are supposed to come in 10 – 15 minute intervals. Maybe part of the day this happens. The rest of the day, like when most people need the bus, oh no way. I looked at the ‘next available times’ and it usually reads something like this: 3 minutes 40 minutes 45 minutes. OR 23 minutes, 50 minutes, 51 minutes.
Yet sometimes it’s so consistent it makes you cry because you’re so happy. JUST missed a bus? Another one maybe comes 10 minutes later! BUT YOU NEVER KNOW!
PLEASE make sure you look at NextBus’s MBTA website before you go out– I promise it’s your best friend. Those dumb schedules that are posted at stops are not correct EVER. Nextbus is accurate give or take a few minutes.
F U 57 bus.
Second– it gets so damn crowded (mainly thanks to the inconsistency). If you want to get on the bus between Kenmore and BU West GOOD LUCK.
If it’s the morning, it’s crowded from Kenmore to Dustin Street.
Third– some bus drivers are DOUCHEBAGS. I’ve seen drivers discriminate against mentally handicapped people, high school students and foreign students. I also HATE IT when they let people off BEFORE the bus stop, even though it’s crowded (or stalled traffic). PEOPLE CAN WAIT JUST A FEW MINUTES TO BE LET OFF SAFELY AT THE CURB. And I wish the bus actually was CLOSER to the curb– fucking asshole bikers seem to think the tiny space between the bus and the sidewalk is enough for them to go through — can’t count how many times I was almost killed by a biker getting off the bus @ the back door. WTF bikers? I know Boston isn’t so bike friendly, but GET THE FUCK OUT OF A BUS’S WAY, especially when people are getting off! FUCKERS!
I don’t miss the 57 bus. But we need this bus. I hate how the MBTA does that to us. They give us a bus we need, shit in it, and make us endure it.

Do people describe you as «a loud asshole?» If so, pull out that bus pass and prepare to make some new friends on the 57! How did they calculate travel times for this route? I understand this runs down a busy street, so why not buffer the time between stops accordingly? Girl, telling me our time together will only be twenty minutes is a lie, and you know it. That’s ok though, I’ll be back tomorrow, hands folded in my lap, hoping you’ll be true to me.

In general the 57 (at least during rush-​hour) runs on a frequent basis. On my way into work from Brighton in the morning — I rarely find myself waiting more than 10 minutes, and on my way home in the evenings from Kenmore Sq. — the wait is rarely more than 10 minutes.
However.
By nature of the fact that it’s rush hour, the travel time down Commonwealth Avenue can be highly variable — especially in the evening on the outbound commute. Whenever traffic crossing the BU Bridge (route 2 over the Charles River to Cambridge), backs up, it completely cuts-​off outbound traffic on Commonwealth avenue, often resulting in traffic back-​ups all the way back into Kenmore Sq. Additional delays can be caused by events at Aggannis Arena whcih can result in travel speeds of roughly 100 yards /​half-​hour.
Washington Street in Brighton Center where it crosses Market Street is another frequent choke point — but it rarely bogs down to the levels experienced along the BU sections of Commonwealth Avenue.
I realize this is not strictly the MBTA’s fault, however, some bus operators are far more adept at dealing with the adverse traffic conditions (being passed by other two 57 buses while slogging along through the backed up section before the BU Bridge for instance) which can be infuriating when you just «want to get home».
Perhaps some better cooperation with the police could help alleviate these issues — on a few occasions, it has required police assistance to untangle the traffic jams that occur — often after we’ve sat, unmoving, for 20 — 30 minutes.

Tips for riding the 57 from someone for whom it is almost my only option if I don’t want to drive:
* On the weekends and late evenings, give yourself a solid 30 minutes to wait for this bus as part of your commute time. You just never know. Try breathing exercises if you start getting agitated.
* On weekdays during peak rush hour times, you’ll get a decreased wait time (yay!) but increased likelihood of having someone’s backpack shoved into your stomach with the crowd and stopping every 5 blocks (boooo).
On the whole, the 57 bus runs a worthwhile and simple route that can get you to end destinations or connections onto many, many places you want to go in the greater Boston area. It is great for what it is — but if you DO have to ride the 57 regularly, it is VERY worth having a bus tracker app on your phone if you can to avoid need for breathing exercises, etc.!!

If you take this bus during rush hour it is very reliable and it runs a lot. I’ve been using it for a month now in my commute. I get on at Kenmore going outbound to Brighton around 8am and I literally have never waited more than 10 minutes, usually it’s five. They come frequently at this time. Same around 5pm, there are plenty going both ways.
If not riding during commuting hours I make no garuntees. Actually, if riding during daytime hours on Comm Ave, I garuntee your ride will be overcrowded, stop at every stop, and generally henious.

Why all the hating on the 57?
Maybe after 21 years of taking the T on a regular basis my expectations have just been seriously lowered… okay maybe this bus doesn’t actually come every 10 minutes on the nose, but I prefer waiting for it to walking a mile to the green line and dealing with that…
I get on in the Oak Sq. area and take it all the way to Kenmore as I work in Back Bay. I usually budget about 45 minutes for this (which includes the 10 minute walk once I arrive at Kenmore) and I am seldom late.
The thing is, as long as I charged my iPod and grab my morning copy of the Metro, I hardly notice the length of the ride. Honestly this is the easiest way to get downtown from Allston/​Brighton, and the T is far from perfect, but I have yet to find anything seriously wrong with this route.

On paper, the 57 bus looks like it runs essentially continuously every 10 minutes. Every time I need one, though, it seems like it’s 3 of them within a block of each other every 30 minutes. It’s easy to understand how this happens. As a bus starts running late, more and more passengers are waiting at the next stop. So naturally, the bus gets further and further behind, until it’s banging fenders with the next bus on the schedule, which has had fewer and fewer passengers to pick up as the distance between the two buses shrinks.
Whatever the reasons, the 57 is one of the least reliable lines on the system. So many things can disrupt the fragile timing, and it seems like it can’t recover once its mojo is thrown off, which can happen with Red Sox games, school letting out, or somebody not knowing how to use the farebox (that NEVER happens, right???)
Speaking of which, the CharlieCard fareboxes have slowed boarding WAY down since their introduction a couple of years ago. It’s only fast if you’ve got the CharlieCard, in which case you tap, and you go. But what if you don’t have enough money? Then it’s tap the card, push the white button, insert bill, bill rejected, smooth out bill, insert bill, try to insert quarter in tiny slot, drop quarter, pick up quarter, insert quarter, push white button, tap card, and tap card again. It’s little wonder the buses can’t stay on time when it takes a single passenger a solid 45 seconds to pay his fare.

This morning marked my first morning riding the bike to work. Newton to the Boston Common. The majority of the trip a nice downhill slope via Comm Ave. Now with being a newby cyclist I am obeying all the rules (for now) and not riding in and out of cars. At first I was surprised the for the first 3 miles of my trip I was not honked or yelled at and no attempts on my life were made. That was until I encountered the 57. Whoever was driving this morning made it her goal to kill me. I stayed as right as I could possibly go yet the woman driving the 57 thought it necessary to try to run me into parked cars as much as possible. As i read the other reviews you can see the the bus goes about as fast as a cyclist so there were plenty of chances for run ins. At one point I could see her looking in the mirror with a devilish look anticipating my next move so she could get the best of me. I look forward to this battle all summer long. ITS ON 57!!!

I board the ferry and give my token to Caron the Boatman because I have to. This bus takes 20 min when it should take 8 min, about 33% of the time inbound. And then by the time we get to Union Sq another freakin 57 is up our ass! Outbound it probably runs behind schedule 50% of the time! And then the people that ride this cheese box refuse to do what’s reasonable or ever climb their measly 3% graded learning curve. Number one, the seats right behind the second door… sit in the goddamned window seat! there’s plenty of leg room you twit. Number two, same seats referenced herein… short people sit somewhere else. I’m tired of my knees being squeezed against the neighboring seats while your dumb ass has 6 inches of clearance from knee to seat. What else sucks… the engineers that designed the open-​loop temperature control system. What we want to be is «not cold» that doesn’t mean we want to be «ridiculously hot.» We’re already wearing jackets you idiots, we have nowhere to put them. We don’t need it that hot! If you get hot like me, on really cold days don’t wear pullover sweaters. Complaining about anything to supervisors is probably a waste of time. I did once, I noticed no long term changes.
Oh man, one time there was a leak in the connection for the pneumatic piston (the thing that opens the doors) and when it was on it’s exhaust stroke it was so loud it was definitely above the audio pain thresholds.

Oh 57, how I hate you!!! Hate you I say!!!
Why is this bus so damn inconsistent!!! Recently on a Tuesday night I was waiting for the 57 and one came… right by me and didn’t stop, in fact the bus almost hit someone trying to cross Comm Ave. Ok, I say to myself, maybe the bus was packed or it was an express bus or I don’t know the sun was yellow and the moon was white. There’s no rhyme or reason. The 57 is a study in contrasts and inconsistencies.
Sometimes the bus will stop. In fact sometimes 3 or 4 will show up within minutes of each other, each one stopping and no one getting on or off. Sometimes you won’t see a 57 for 40+ minutes or if you do see one it will keep on driving. The drivers can be nice, but usually they are not. And I get that as a bus driver you aren’t paid to be nice, you are paid to drive that bus safely and correctly — SO why do I feel like I might die on this bus sometimes and why don’t you stop when you are supposed to. Weaving in and out of traffic, up and down Comm Ave. And while the bus driver doesn’t need to be nice s/​he doesn’t need to be an asshole either.
My other gripe about the 57 is that it gets really crowded with book bags and purses and guitars and cases of beer and the people that come with them. Running along Comm Ave does have its challenges, but it shouldn’t take me 10 minutes to get from the back of the bus to the exit in the middle of the bus. It’s just not right.
To fix this problem I suggest staggering the buses so that they do not arrive within minutes of each other in 3s or 4s. I suggest running buses more frequently in the morning and between 4 – 7 — the peak commuting time and… oh wait… isn’t that what they are supposed to be doing already? Oh Fuck, I guess I got nothing then and I’ll be walking instead of riding the 57.

You might as well walk if it’s the weekend. There’s a 50% chance that you won’t see your bus for at least 30 minutes, and then you’ll see all 4 of them come in a cluster.
The drivers, however, are usually pretty nice. There’s this one guy who looks like a Hell’s Angel, bald head and a mustache that extends beyond the neck. No way you’re skipping the fare with him. :)

If you live in Allston/​Brighton this is the best way to get downtown, especially if your going to Kenmore. Faster, cheaper than the B line T, and always on time with convenient, frequent stops. This bus has gotten me outta jams many times. Thanks!