Watertown to Launch New Shuttle Route, Mobility Study

The City of Watertown and the Watertown Transportation Management Association (TMA) are collaborating on a plan to improve public transportation and help people get around town.

When the City and the Watertown TMA sought transit routes not currently served by the MBTA, they identified the Pleasant Street area and the Arsenal Street Corridor. Both routes have had significant new development over the past 15 years. Pleasant Street has limited MBTA service. Arsenal Street has the 70 bus, but it does not link with Harvard Square.

According to a Watertown News report, members of the public can ride the Pleasant Street WATConnector for $1 a trip. People working or living in a development that is a partner of the Watertown TMA can ride for free, said Zeke Mermell, the City of Watertown's senior transportation planner.

The Pleasant Street Connector is free to the Watertown TMA partners (66 Galen St., Watertown Mews, Riverworks, Watermills, Aver, 580 Pleasant St., and 64 Pleasant St.). The connector makes 10 round-trip runs from Watertown to Harvard Square daily. 

Outbound, the shuttle starts at Watertown Mews and makes stops at Riverworks, Watermills, and 66 Galen St./Watertown Yard before ending in Harvard Square. Inbound, the connector leaves Harvard Square and stops at 66 Galen St./Watertown Yard, Aver, and Riverworks, and ends at Watertown Mews.

During the first nine months of 2025, the Pleasant Street Shuttle had a total of 6,228 rides and an average of 692 per month, according to figures from the City of Watertown. 

The shuttles also travel down Arsenal Street, but it is currently open only to those connected with TMA partners. On the Arsenal Street corridor, the TMA runs a corporate shuttle — with stops at either end of the Arsenal on the Charles (AOTC) campus, Arsenal Yards, and the LINX building — and a residential shuttle. Its stops include Gables Arsenal Street, Elan Union Market Apartments, and BLVD & Bond in Arsenal Yards.

In addition to expanding transit, Watertown is focusing on bicycle safety through educational programs, safety checks, and the promotion of bike lanes and Bluebike stations as part of its transportation upgrades.

The City of Watertown has also been working on a mobility study.

“Watertown's latest transportation study underscores what many businesses already know: the city's transit network doesn't match its economic profile,” the Charles River Chamber explained in a statement shared with the Watertown News.