Brandon Lewis
BU News Service
South End resident Mark Mansour drives 16 miles to his job in the South Shore each week. He believes public transportation is not the best alternative for him.
“I do take the Silver line on occasion, don’t think it’s very efficient or timely,” Mansour said. “So I probably wouldn’t be happy if I had to rely on that solely.”
The South End is mainly served by the Silver Line, a fleet of dual use buses (electric and diesel powered) traveling between Dudley Square and downtown. The closest train connection is the Massachusetts Avenue stop on the Orange line in Back Bay.
On a day with traffic and bad weather, Mansour’s commute pushes beyond an hour, he says. But normally it takes approximately 20 minutes to get from Boston to the South Shore.
This seems to be the norm for South Enders. 63 percent of South End residents claim their commutes are under half an hour, according to a report prepared by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
Public transportation is the most popular option for South Enders. 34 percent of South End commuters take the bus or train to get around while 27 percent hop in the car.
Despite this, Mansour believes driving is the more economical option. Listen to how much it costs Mark to drive to and from work each week.
