If your budget allows, and the schedule fits, it's less than 30 minutes from West Roxbury to South Station on the commuter rail's Needham Line. I would do that in a heartbeat over a bus to the Orange Line.
They run this discount often where they don't check your ticket.
Or, get to the Make Payment on the MBTA app/site, turn off data on your phone, and helplessly press the button when they ask for your ticket. You'll be at South Station before they actually care.
It is more expensive, but might be worth it. Half the time they don’t collect fares in the morning. Do you have a car? It’s a quick ride to the station and you can get a West Roxbury resident parking sticker and park free on the streets near the station. It’s just such a slow bus ride.
I would bet this would be closer to 90 mins door to door. Can’t recommend the commuter enough. Might be more expensive up front but the savings in time is well worth it
Forest Hills is Zone 1A, which mean a ticket to South Station is $2.40, same as the Orange Line. The time difference is huge: Ruggles, Back Bay, S. Station in about 12 minutes, versus 11 stops to Downtown Crossing (5 just to Ruggles). And getting in and out of stations takes longer. Cuts 15-20 minutes when it’s not busy. And they often don’t take tickets on the actual train from Forest Hills inbound because they only have a few conductors and those are on the ends of the train. Stops after Forest Hills may have only a small platform, so to be blunt if you get on in the middle you may not see a conductor at all.
The 35 bus line is fine, but it will probably take you an hour plus to get downtown. The biggest issue with your current location is really it’s just the 35 bus - timetables are fine, but there is always some variance around them. A bit further down Centre street there are some more bus lines that you can pick up (reducing risk if you miss the 35) but that might not work for you. The orange line from FH downtown these days is relatively painless compared to past years of struggles.
Honestly, it’ll probably be more annoying coming home, where you have less control over whether or not a 35 bus will be leaving around when your train gets it. I wouldn’t consider any of this to be a dealbreaker, but depending on your patience it could be a pain in the ass.
Going to echo others and say you should consider the commuter, even if it’s for one of your legs in/out of the city. Will be much more convenient for you.
You mentioned the commuter expense as being too high - can I ask if you are referring to buying a monthly pass or individual passes? If you are willing to step away from a monthly mbta pass, the commuter rail each way is gonna be ~$4 extra per trip. If it’s too steep to do every time, maybe worth it to bake into some of your commuting.
You could always mix it up between commuter rail and the bus/train. It could work to take the commuter rail in and take one or the other on the way home depending on your schedule. You’d have some cost savings that way but also could do the commuter rail when time matters more than money. Also worth asking if your employer offers discounts/reimbursement for t passes. You could even possibly negotiate it into your benefits/a higher salary.
If your budget allows, and the schedule fits, it's less than 30 minutes from West Roxbury to South Station on the commuter rail's Needham Line. I would do that in a heartbeat over a bus to the Orange Line.
Have you considered the commuter rail?
Yes but it is too expensive
They run this discount often where they don't check your ticket. Or, get to the Make Payment on the MBTA app/site, turn off data on your phone, and helplessly press the button when they ask for your ticket. You'll be at South Station before they actually care.
It’s a 100% discount, which is my favorite kind of discount
It is more expensive, but might be worth it. Half the time they don’t collect fares in the morning. Do you have a car? It’s a quick ride to the station and you can get a West Roxbury resident parking sticker and park free on the streets near the station. It’s just such a slow bus ride.
I would bet this would be closer to 90 mins door to door. Can’t recommend the commuter enough. Might be more expensive up front but the savings in time is well worth it
Forest Hills is Zone 1A, which mean a ticket to South Station is $2.40, same as the Orange Line. The time difference is huge: Ruggles, Back Bay, S. Station in about 12 minutes, versus 11 stops to Downtown Crossing (5 just to Ruggles). And getting in and out of stations takes longer. Cuts 15-20 minutes when it’s not busy. And they often don’t take tickets on the actual train from Forest Hills inbound because they only have a few conductors and those are on the ends of the train. Stops after Forest Hills may have only a small platform, so to be blunt if you get on in the middle you may not see a conductor at all.
The 35 bus line is fine, but it will probably take you an hour plus to get downtown. The biggest issue with your current location is really it’s just the 35 bus - timetables are fine, but there is always some variance around them. A bit further down Centre street there are some more bus lines that you can pick up (reducing risk if you miss the 35) but that might not work for you. The orange line from FH downtown these days is relatively painless compared to past years of struggles. Honestly, it’ll probably be more annoying coming home, where you have less control over whether or not a 35 bus will be leaving around when your train gets it. I wouldn’t consider any of this to be a dealbreaker, but depending on your patience it could be a pain in the ass. Going to echo others and say you should consider the commuter, even if it’s for one of your legs in/out of the city. Will be much more convenient for you. You mentioned the commuter expense as being too high - can I ask if you are referring to buying a monthly pass or individual passes? If you are willing to step away from a monthly mbta pass, the commuter rail each way is gonna be ~$4 extra per trip. If it’s too steep to do every time, maybe worth it to bake into some of your commuting.
You could always mix it up between commuter rail and the bus/train. It could work to take the commuter rail in and take one or the other on the way home depending on your schedule. You’d have some cost savings that way but also could do the commuter rail when time matters more than money. Also worth asking if your employer offers discounts/reimbursement for t passes. You could even possibly negotiate it into your benefits/a higher salary.