Welcome to my blog!
Hello there! My name is Ben, I was born and raised in the suburbs of Worcester, Massachusetts, but now reside in Chicago, pursuing higher education. I currently aspire to be a transit planner in the future. I enjoy riding transit when I get the opportunity to, but my main interest with transit is how routes and stops are planned out.
I was born on October 17, 2003 (age 19) in Massachusetts and I've been a transit nerd since I was very young, falling in love with both the MBTA in Boston and the MTA in New York City. I'm also a photographer.
This blog is where the Eliot Deviation Index was first introduced, and it grew to the point where I set up a whole new site just for it.
(I may have a catchphrase here of "Why? Just why?")
Why do I write a transit blog? What made me write one?
The first question is an easy one for me to answer - I enjoy it. Even if I only put a few minutes of effort into this each time, it's something for me to talk about with people like Cedric (the guy behind Stroadsblog RI). I might even be able to use this to my advantage in the future, you never know.
The second one, however, is slightly harder. There are a few others I know who also write similar blogs. I always enjoy reading these other blogs, and I have a slight bit of experience, so I just went with it.
Below is a list of related blogs and YouTube channels from some friends of mine that I fully recommend for any reader of Based on Transit.
Cod's corner by Cod. He's on a quest to review every bus route and train station in southern New England, showing his experiences on the journeys to ride these routes.
Classy Whale by Caleb. Caleb posts a great video every week, usually focusing on transit and the sights around it. Thinks Based on Transit is "a really cool blog, you should check it out."
Ranya's Ramblings by Ranya. They do what Cod does and what Miles did, but with transit primarily in the Philadelphia area. Outside of their blog, they're very interested in the Eliot Deviation Index.
Selig's Trains and Travels by Selig. Selig is a bit far behind when it comes to uploading his videos, but he puts out entertaining videos about his adventures on public transit, usually in the Bay Area of California.
Stormy Kara by ... Stormy. They live in Chicago (hey hey hey now, stay tuned) and go on various transit adventures around the region, in addition to creating the "Transit Talk" series ranting about a variety of transit topics.
Stroadsblog RI by Cedric. Cedric was the one who collaborated with me on the Rhode Island Instrastate Rail post with me in August 2021. Cedric's blog has more in-depth content about RIPTA and Rhode Island and he put far more effort into his posts than I do. Unfortunately, The Providence Planner went defunct in January 2022, but returned that May as Stroadsblog RI (and has since shut down).
Trainably / YIMBY.club by Eric (and some other guests). Eric doesn't really post that often on his blog, but whenever he does, it's a quality post. He often procrastinates with whatever project he is thinking of. Trainably merged into YIMBY.club in July 2022, a collaborative blog that I have a post on.
Traipsing Through Transit by Jonah. They live in the New York City area and have some of the best transit proposals I've laid my eyes on, as well as some reviews similar to those of Cod's internet nook and Miles in Transit.
Walking Transfer by Brooke. As of Feburary 2023, she is just starting out their blog, but she is super knowledgable about the operations side of the MBTA, mainly specializing in the reliablity of the ever-aging old Orange Line fleet, and the issue-ridden new CRRC fleet.
I hope you enjoy this blog!