T Buses to Add Weekend Trips, Change Pickup Times

Two of the MBTA bus lines that serves Marblehead will have some new morning pickup times, among other changes, started in late August.

The T announced on Monday that the morning and midday pickup times on routes 441 and 442 on weekday mornings will change. The changes are typically by a few minutes. For example, the bus that leaves Wonderland to Marblehead at 7:25 a.m. is moved to 7:30 a.m.

The frequency that buses 441 and 442 runs midday on Saturdays and Sundays will “improve” and pickup times will also change, the T said. For example, on Saturdays and Sundays between 10 a.m. and noon there will now be five trips from Marblehead to Wonderland, up from four.

The changes will go into effect on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Route 441 has low ridership and last year was on the chopping block as the T faced a budget shortfall.

Last year, the Board of Selectmen unanimously asked Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren to send a letter to state Sen. Tom McGee, D-Lynn, and state Rep. Lori Erhlich, D-Marblehead, opposing the cuts in service.

The latest data from the MBTA shows route 441 has an average of 1,397 riders on weekdays with 861 riders on Saturday and 624 on Sundays. For route 442, there are 2,056 riders, on average, each weekdays with 1,193 riders on Saturdays and 892 on Sundays. Those numbers include riders along the entire route and not just in Marblehead.

Last year Susan Livingston of Harborside House said in the Patch comments that the T bus to Wonderland “is an absolute necessity for bed and breakfast guests with no car.”

A complete copy of the new schedules can be found on the MBTA website.