If you’ve found yourself waiting for a 73 bus that failed to show up at its scheduled time, you’re not alone.
“When people are waiting for a bus late at night and that bus doesn’t come when scheduled, and then they have to wait for the next one—they might be waiting for a total of an hour or even more—that’s really an unacceptable experience for people to have,” said state Sen. William Brownsberger. “It should never happen, really.”
An avid bicyclist, Brownsberger has found himself waiting more than once — particularly in the winter when cycling isn’t an option — for a 73 bus that didn’t arrive on schedule.
“Lost trips,” as the MBTA refers to them, are a known issue for the 73 bus, in particular, which runs between Waverley Square and Cambridge, and an issue transportation officials are actively trying to address, according to Brownsberger. In a letter to constituents, Brownsberger also highlighted the 71 bus, which runs between Watertown and Cambridge.
According to an MBTA spokesperson, the average number of lost trips was “very low” in spring 2021, with 3.4 average trips lost per weekday. This was in part due to the use of trackless trolley buses that could not operate elsewhere in the system, insulating the routes from disruptions.
Over the years, however, that average has steadily increased, with some seasons of a particular year seeing more than others. Lost trips peaked in the summer of 2023, with an average of 6.6 trips lost per weekday, due to operator shortage, a spokesperson said.
Though that average has declined in recent years thanks to an increase in hiring, transportation officials saw an uptick in spring and summer of 2025, attributed to staffing and long-term road closures in Cambridge near the condemned Riverview Condominiums.
“They are working on it,” Brownsberger said. “I have a high opinion of this management team. We have a real operations professional…in [MBTA General Manager] Phil Eng. … I’m hopeful we’ll continue to see improvements in that. ”
Brownsberger described the issue as a perennial one related to staffing.
“That’s something we’ve tried to help them with,” he said. “The Legislature has substantially increased available funding.”
As of fall 2024, the 73 bus had 2,731 riders per weekday, according to the MBTA, making it the 33rd most heavily used route of 153. That number has increased to about 3,100 riders since Sept. 1.
