For the uninitiated, Dudley Square is the busiest bus terminal in the MBTA system. It exclusively serves all buses, all of the time with multiple connections to nearby Ruggles station if you need the Orange Line.
Service here is pretty frequent. The buses obviously have a much lower capacity than even Green line trains, so they can get pretty crammed during rush hour. However during off peak hours you rarely need to wait more than ten minutes for a bus to get you to your destination. The bus routes also overlap a lot, so there are usually multiple options to drop you within walking distance of a destination.
The station its self has multiple signs to announce bus departures. Were you going to South Boston? Catch that 47 to Broadway, buddy. You want to hit Harvard square? Did you want to go through Allston on the 66? or up Mass Ave on the 1? Wherever you need to go, Dudley will connect to there pretty quickly.
There are also a number of shops nearby. There is a Dunkin' Donuts if you need a quick snack, a fried chicken store, or Chinese restaurant right in the station. Sure, it is still outdoors, but you can grab your thing while still keeping an eye out for the bus. If you can go further afield, you can grab a quick bottle of wine for that party at the liquor store, last minute supplies at Walgreens, or hit any of the other small businesses right across the street.
All of that is a clear win. It is not rail service, but service like this feels like that next best thing. That is great. Some reviews here go on to rate Dudley square as a neighborhood, and other bus riders. Sure, we can look at that.
Like any transit hub, it attracts people with a lot of different agendas. Most of us just want to get from A to B. Some other folks at the station are beggars. Some are boisterously loud. Some are street canvassers. It is a public square, so any thing goes.
However there is also a police station literally one block away. There are usually MBTA and Boston police parked right in the station, standing around in plain sight. While we might get annoyed with other riders, and they might be different forms of nuisances, this station is in no way unsafe. Just do your thing, and you will be home sooner than you know it. read more