Celebrating the Member Companies Powering The Grid
At 128 Business Council’s 2026 Annual Meeting, we were proud to recognize three standout members of our cooperative shuttle network, The Grid. This year’s Annual Meeting also featured the panel “Playbook 2030: A Shared Agenda for a Thriving Corridor,” a cross-sector conversation about what it will take for the Route 128 West Corridor to thrive in the years ahead.
128 Business Council is both a Transportation Management Association (TMA) and a shuttle service provider. As a TMA, we bring employers, property owners, municipalities, and institutions together to solve transportation challenges that no single organization can solve alone. Through our ten-route shuttle system, The Grid, we operate a unique national model in which member companies and communities cooperatively fund shared routes. Each route serves multiple sites, connecting those sites to regional transit hubs, including Alewife Station, Waltham Center, and Newton Highlands. All of The Grid’s shared routes are open to the public.
The three awards presented at the Annual Meeting recognize especially impressive contributions within that cooperative network. These awards highlight three standout members, but every 128 Business Council member deserves credit for connecting their own transportation needs to a broader community benefit: public routes, reduced driving alone, improved economic access, and stronger connections between workplaces, transit, and the communities around them.
Member Impact Award
128 Business Council’s Member Impact Award went to Healthpeak Properties. During the 12-month award period, Healthpeak-supported sites had the highest total ridership across The Grid with 26,055 rides associated with stops at 55/65/75 Hayden Ave, 200 Smith St, and 101 Hartwell Ave. That ridership represents at least 187,171 miles not taken in single-occupancy vehicles, at least 7,157 hours reclaimed from driving alone, and at least 114,642 pounds of carbon kept out of the atmosphere. The award was accepted by Healthpeak Senior Property Manager Matt Needle.
Member Access Award
Our Member Access Award went to BXP for expanding access to The Grid and enabling service at a number of cooperatively funded stops. Taken together, BXP supported or enabled 30,363 rides associated with stops at 180 Third Ave, 230 Third Ave, 77 Fourth Ave, 480/500 Totten Pond Rd, 200 West St, 880 Winter St, 140 Kendrick St, and 950 Winter St. That ridership represents at least 305,299 miles not taken in single-occupancy vehicles, at least 12,833 hours reclaimed from driving alone, and at least 186,995 pounds of carbon kept out of the atmosphere. The award was accepted by BXP Regional Property Manager Christine Bouffard, who also serves on the 128 Business Council Board of Directors.
Member Engagement Award
The Member Engagement Award went to Boston Dynamics for achieving the highest ridership per capita across the entire Grid system during the 12-month award period. Boston Dynamics-supported sites showed an exceptional level of service awareness and shuttle engagement, with ridership associated with stops at 80 Second Ave and 360 Second Ave. (Boston Dynamics also participates in The Grid stop at 200 Smith St.) That ridership represents at least 42,309 miles not taken in single-occupancy vehicles, at least 1,827 hours reclaimed from driving alone, and at least 25,914 pounds of carbon kept out of the atmosphere. The award was accepted by Boston Dynamics Director of Facilities Danny McInnis.
The ridership impact statistics above should be understood as estimated minimums, since they only reflect time riders spend on The Grid shuttles and do not include connecting trips by foot, bike, or MBTA.
