EZRide Expands to Midday and Weekend Service

The EZRide transit service has been expanded to include midday and weekend operations, building on its decades-long commitment to sustainable and equitable urban mobility.

The community is invited to join a public launch event on Tuesday, June 3, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Lechmere Station, followed by a speaker’s reception at CambridgeSide. As part of the event, a special EZRide will provide service between the two locations for the officials, project leaders, and media. Guests are kindly requested to RSVP via the event page. 

EZRide has operated since 2002 as a Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon peak commuter hour service. The addition of midday and weekend service transforms EZRide into a full-day, seven-day-a-week, last-mile circulator. EZRide connects North Station in Boston to Cambridgeport via Lechmere and Kendall Square, addresses a key gap in crosstown MBTA service, and now serves as a vital transit link for commuters, residents, and visitors.

This expansion is made possible through a public-private partnership between the Charles River Transportation Management Association (CRTMA), its 25 service-funding members including the City of Cambridge, CambridgeSide, the Kendall Square Transit Enhancement Program (KSTEP), and the inaugural MassDOT Transportation Management Association (TMA) grant. KSTEP is a value capture initiative launched by the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) and BXP to provide funding for improvements to maintain and improve the percentage of trips taken by transit into Kendall Square.

"This expansion of EZRide reflects the City’s continued commitment to providing accessible transportation for all residents," said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang. "All of our community members deserve to be able to travel safely, efficiently, and sustainably. The expansion of this critical service will help reduce our carbon footprint while improving connectivity across our diverse neighborhoods and business districts."

The expanded EZRide service supports the City of Cambridge’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting economic opportunity, and improving mobility for all residents. By eliminating fare barriers and offering frequent, reliable service, EZRide improves access to:

• Major MBTA hubs (Red, Green, Orange Lines, Commuter Rail)
• Kendall Square, MIT, healthcare and research centers
• New and existing residential and commercial developments
• The Green Line Extension at Lechmere

By counting emerging neighborhoods like Cambridge Crossing among its key service areas and linking established destinations such as CambridgeSide, EZRide is strengthening connections across East Cambridge’s growing residential, commercial, and retail hubs.

This initiative also enhances rider convenience and operational efficiency by offering consistent all-day service that improves passenger legibility, making the system easier to understand and use. It optimizes the existing fleet by spreading fixed costs over more service hours, enables straight driver shifts that support retention and job satisfaction, and reduces redundancy by consolidating the CambridgeSide shuttle, thereby decreasing congestion along the corridor.

The EZRide route serves a rapidly evolving corridor—home to over 10 million square feet of new commercial development, thousands of housing units, expanded retail, and the transformation of MIT’s campus, particularly in Kendall Square. This expansion meets the demand for sustainable, high-frequency transportation to match the area’s growth. For EZRide route, stops and schedule visit www.EZRide.info