Later this year I’ll be visiting Boston and will be riding the subway (the “T”) there.
I plan to invest in a day pass or perhaps a three day pass.
Are MBTA day passes sturdy and magnetically stripped like the NYC MetroCard or the DC Metro farecards, or are they flimsy and capable of coming apart easily (as happened one time with my SEPTA day pass in Philly)?
John
The unlimited ride passes are a piece of cardboard in which you scratch off the month and day(s) that you are using it. Everytime you get on a bus or surface trolley, you fla***he driver your day pass and you proceed through. To get through a turnstile, you got to the ticket booth and flash your card to the person in the booth and they will let you in. San Francisco’s MUNI has a similar program.
Enjoy your stay and be sure to ride the streetcar extension of the Red Line subway if it is operating (may be down for extensive rebuilding) Ashmont - Mattapan, since it uses restored PCC cars from 1944-45 and is scenic.
The Riverside “D” Green Line branch is well worth riding. I remember the days when it was a Boston and Albany (New York Central) branch with suburban arch-roof coaches handled by 4-6-4T tank engines with headlights on their tenders for reverse operation.