BOSTON – Before the pandemic, Boston commuters bonded over a slew of ills that plagued the nation’s oldest subway system, from delays and breakdowns to the occasional derailment.
Now public transit systems nationwide are grappling with a new reality — drastically plummeting ridership and revenue caused by a stealthy virus that's also sickening and killing transit workers.
With no clear predictions about when most riders will feel safe enough to return, public transportation networks from Washington to New York to Chicago are doing their best to hold on.
The future feels especially shaky in Boston, the poster child for unreliable public transit. A few years ago, the city abruptly withdrew what was seen as a strong bid for the 2024 Olympics