pocohontas3

We're soon to visit Boston and plan to drive our car to a metro (subway) lot and take the red line into the city. Family of 5 - sounds like the 2 youngest will ride free. For our day in Boston - do we need Charlie cards or a $9 one day pass for 2 adults and one young teenager? Help me sort this out, so we know "how" to get tickets for our subway rides. We'll pick it up in Quincy and then need to get to Prudential Center and hopefully Faneuil Hall stop, too. Then, back to Quincy at the end of the day. Thinking to do this on a Saturday or Sunday, by the way.

yk

Unless you are taking 5 rides or more, the one day pass at $9 won't be a good deal.

BTW, make sure you get the plastic Charlie card. When you arrive at Quincy station, you need to go to the ticket window and ask the agent specifically for the plastic card. If you just use the machine, it'll sell you a paper Charlie ticket, which costs more per ride than the plastic Charlie card.

All 3 of you can share one plastic Charlie card, as long as you all travel together. Each T ride is $1.70 using the Charlie card vs $2 using the Charlie ticket.

Once you get the plastic Charlie card from the agent (which has $0 value), you need to load $ onto it.

So, for 3 of you, taking a total of 9 rides (based on the info you provide), you will need at least $15.3 on the Charlie card to cover 9 rides.

BTW, I'm not 100% sure regarding leftover value on the Charlie Card. Say you load $20 onto the card and you only use $15.30. I assume you should be able to ask the agent to refund you when you turn in your Charlie card.

yk

BTW, in Boston, we call our subway/metro the "T". If you ask for subway or metro here, no one will understand you meant.

Once you've got the Charlie Card, you just "tap" the card against the reader at the turnstile, and go thru. Then pass the card to the next person in your party, and to the next etc.

Since the Charlie Card is free, you may choose to get more than 1 card for your party of 3, if you think you may not ride the T together. In that case, just load less $ onto each Charlie Card.

djkbooks

Children 11 and under ride free.

You can't share the daily passes.

If there's time, you can order the plastic Charlie card online and have it mailed to you, then add more value once you're in a station.

pocohontas3

So, to get to Prudential we would need the red line and the green line, yet it's consider one $1.70 ride? Interesting. I will try to buy one card and put $ on it for us 3 to use.

How does the turnstile know that you have a non-paying kid?

capxxx

The kid just ducks under the turnstile, or gets carried through by the grownup, or else walks through the (wheelchair access) gate next to the ticket booth.

capxxx

You can change trains (lines) at a junction station without having to pay again, as long as you stay below at track level and don't go out and in again. Just follow the signs to the other platforms.

yk

Each "ride" is considered the journey between you enter the turnstile and you leave the turnstile. You can ride all day on the T for just $1.70 as long as you don't exit the station.

From Quincy, take the "Inbound" Red Line train and get off at Park Street.

At Park Street Station, follow signs for the Green Line (it's one level up), and take either:

B,C,D lines to Copley station (where you can visit Trinity Church, Copley Sq, Public Library)

OR

E line to Prudential station if you only want to visit the Pru. [B,C,D lines do not stop at the Pru.]

After visiting Copley/Pru, take the Green Line inbound to Govt Center stop. It's a short walk to Faneuil Hall.

Your kids can go up to the station personel - there's usually a manual gate (for wheelchairs/strollers) and he/she can let your 2 kids go thru.

Some of the newer turnstiles are not really "turnstiles" but rather a "gate" that slides open after you tap your Charlie CArd. I would be leery to have your kids dash behind you, as the gate closes promptly and your kid can easily be caught by the "gate".

soxfanann

This may be too late, but I think that the charge is double from some of the outer stations on the Braintree Line. I grew up in Braintree and know that it used to cost 2 tokens to go from there or Quincy Adams and maybe Quincy Ctr. too. I assume that the Charlie Card would deduct double if you enter at one of those stations. Something worth checking when doing your fare math...

Anonymous

The doubled fares for Quincy and Braintree were abandoned a couple of years ago.