"Team Charlie" seeks later T times

With the last train on the MBTA running at 12:30 a.m. on weekends, people that have gone out to parties or been drinking late at night have no way to get home. The scenario puts some in an unsafe situation, either left to roam the streets at night intoxicated or even leading them to drive drunk. Taxis might also be an option for these night owls, but it is very expensive if one wants to get from a Green Line stop to a Red.

“Team Charlie,” was formed by two Suffolk University government classes and is currently working on surveys that will be given out at random and will ask for opinions on the MBTA’s late-night schedule. They plan to distribute these surveys in places such as local hospitals or the Boston Common, hoping to calculate how cost effective it would be if the MBTA’s trains ran later.

With the surveys, “Team Charlie” is seeking information on what percentage of the public would prefer the T over other types of transportation (like taxi cabs), how much they are willing to pay for the T, and more.

Their aim is to get the T to run until 3 a.m., a reasonable time, they say, considering that most of the clubs in the Greater Boston area get out around 2 a.m. They are not asking that the T run every five minutes after midnight, but more so around two times every hour.

"There are a lot of benefits to having the T run later," said freshman Brittany Rodriguez. "There are so many colleges in Boston and it would increase safety for students, it would decrease the number of alcohol related car accidents, and would benefit those with irregular work schedules like nurses and waiters/waitresses who sometimes leave work very late at night."

It will also help reduce the amount of traffic and pollution, she said, encouraging the use of public transportation instead of private cars.

"Team Charlie" plans on getting members of the local government involved as well. They plan on speaking and possibly even teaming up with State Senator Steven A. Tolman, who is also working on getting the T to run later hours. After getting all of their surveys, Team Charlie would also like to present their results at an MBTA public hearing.