BOSTON (WHDH) - In response to several complaints of traffic jams in the notoriously congested Fenway area, the city of Boston, in partnership with Uber and Lyft, have launched a pilot program designating specific pick up and drop off points.
Signs have been erected in certain spots along Boylston Street that allow Uber and Lyft drivers to safely pull up to a curb between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. when loading and unloading passengers.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh spoke of the need for this change saying that the system needed to change.
“I can appreciate the idea of Uber and Lyft,” Walsh said. “But we have to do something here in the city because it is adding to congestion.”
Prior to the launch of the program, drivers would stop in the middle of the busy street to collect passengers, resulting in serious traffic delays.
Some customers in the area say they think the change will make ride sharing safer.
“Sometimes you get out and you’re in the backseat and you’re left in the street,” one man said. “You never want to get clipped, especially in the dark.”
Depending on how the trial program goes, more drop off areas could be added throughout the city.
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