By sea or land, private transport fills a gapFor Emily Batchelder of Hamilton, driving to work next week is out of the question. Taking commuter rail is, too, because she would have to transfer to a bus in Lynn to get to Boston during the Democratic National Convention.
So when a marina and harbor-cruise operator teamed up to offer a special water shuttle from Admiral's Hill Marina in Chelsea to Rowes Wharf, Batchelder -- a property manager at One Federal Street, a downtown Boston office building -- readily snatched up a $120 four-day pass. ''It's worth it, because it gives us the guarantee of getting here, and we need to be here," said Bachelder, pointing out that her boss also plans to use the water shuttle. She'll have company on the boat: Employees of Fidelity Investments living on the North Shore plan to take commuter rail to Chelsea, hop on a company-hired shuttle bus to the marina, and head, on the company's dime, either to Rowes Wharf or the Seaport. Hundreds of commuters, primarily from the North Shore and in some cases aided by worried employers, are turning to private transportation companies during convention week. They are convinced that driving will be disastrous because of morning lane closures and complete late day shutdowns of Interstate 93, and they are unwilling to put their faith in mass transit. BostonCoach, a large executive sedan company, reports a 15 percent uptick in business for next week. The company says that several businesses have hired 55-passenger motor coaches to fetch employees in northern suburbs and bring them to Boston, at $85 an hour. Other private bus lines say they are also gaining customers, and several have received authorization to use a dedicated lane on I-93, otherwise reserved for emergency vehicles and MBTA buses. A one-way commute on private buses ranges from $6 to $9 from the northernmost communities, compared to $6 for a one-way ticket on commuter rail. ''We've had a few calls from people who normally use the train," said Carol Schreiber, operations manager for The Coach Co., a New Hampshire-based business that plans 11 runs into Boston from 10 northern suburbs, including Newburyport, Haverhill, Topsfield, Georgetown, and Amesbury. The planned roadway closures scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. next Monday -- including inbound lanes on I-93, the Tobin Bridge, the Sumner Tunnel, and Storrow and Memorial drives -- have persuaded most commuters not to try driving themselves, private transportation company operators say. Taking the train could be just as problematic, at least on the North Shore. Riders on the Newburyport-Rockport commuter line are particularly anxious, company operators say, because they must transfer to a shuttle bus in Lynn that will have to fight traffic on Route 1A to reach Boston. The transfer is necessary because North Station will be closed during convention week. ''You've got the commuter rail transfer, North Station closed, the Downeaster [Amtrak train] closed for the week; we think we'll see a movement of people from those modes to us," said Jim Jalbert, president of C&J Trailways in Newburyport, which will run 30 round trips from New Hampshire and the North Shore to Logan Airport and South Station. Bill Kavanagh, chief operating officer of BostonCoach, a Fidelity Investments company and one of the largest private transportation services in the region, said that several companies, which he declined to name, contracted for private shuttles to pick up employees in North Shore suburbs. One advantage is that the buses don't have to run on a schedule, he said. ''We're tailoring our hours to what the clients want," he said. BostonCoach has not yet signed up to use the dedicated lanes on I-93 for emergency vehicles and MBTA buses, but other companies have obtained authorization to do so, said Mariellen Burns, spokeswoman for the convention planning group. The trip home might not be as easy. Private buses can't use the lanes after 4 p.m., when only screened MBTA buses, Logan Express buses, and authorized emergency vehicles can use the lanes, as well as I-93 through the city. The water shuttle leaving from Admiral's Hill Marina in Chelsea will make use of boats operated by Massachusetts Bay Lines, normally used for harbor cruises and whale watch tours. Its appeal, said Kevin Saba, owner of the marina, is for workers who can't leave early and can't afford unpredictability. The boats carry as many as 150 passengers and will leave hourly for the World Trade Center in the Seaport and Rowes Wharf. The 8 a.m. boats next week are nearly sold out, Saba said. A four-day pass is $120 and parking at the marina costs up to $25 daily, but customers thus far haven't blanched at the premium, he said. ''The closer you get, the tougher this commute will be," Saba said. ''To be able to knock out that last chunk, and come in by water, takes a lot of uncertainty out of the commute. It takes 20 minutes, versus not knowing how long it will take, getting in or out." The Coast Guard, which has promised tight security for Boston Harbor during convention week, is aware that the shuttle will be running, Saba said. Coast Guard spokesman Andrew Shinn said that while he didn't have specific information on the Chelsea water shuttle, in general the Coast Guard is looking to secure the harbor ''with the least disruption possible for commerce and transportation." Not all private transportation companies expect to capitalize on expected commuting hassles next week. Jim Trombley, president of Dracut-based Trombley Bus Lines, said he decided to cancel his normal express bus from Methuen into Boston. Trombley said it wasn't worth the risk. ''We have a tough enough time getting into Boston, without the convention, the protesters and everything else," he said. ''A lot of people are just saying, we're not going to go to Boston."
Anthony Flint can be reached at flint@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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