The Top 10 Grid Riders of 2025
We recently sent surprise awards to The Grid shuttle system’s Top Ten Riders of 2025! These riders show what’s possible when commuting choices prioritize sustainability and shared solutions. We’re proud to recognize them—because riders are the driving force behind our mission.
These ten riders had an outsized impact on our region’s roadways.
Altogether, our Top Ten awardees completed 4,272 rides on The Grid in 2025. Those rides add up to at least 40,956 miles not driven alone; 1,563 hours not spent behind the wheel; and 25,085 pounds of carbon kept out of the atmosphere.
Each awardee could choose between a 6-credit bundle from audiobook provider Libro.fm or a Visa digital gift card. Riders who chose the audiobook bundle also supported local bookstore Chapters on Chestnut in Needham, MA—so the prizes came with an extra community boost.
What our Top Ten Riders had to say…
We invited our awardees to share their thoughts about The Grid shuttle system. Here are just a few examples of what they had to say:
The Grid shuttle system is always on time, rain or shine, or even in light snowy days. The traffic in the city can get busy and unpredictable, the Red Line can get delayed, but Grid shuttles are always on time.
The Grid helps me by making my daily commute reliable and stress-free. It allows me to plan my days better without worrying about traffic, parking, or driving fatigue.
Knowing I have reliable, on-time service with friendly drivers who genuinely care makes all the difference in starting my workday on the right foot.
The Grid has honestly made commuting so much easier for me… The shuttle is convenient and reliable, and I’ve really come to enjoy the friendly conversations with the driver and other riders.
A deeper dive on the data…
Our #1 rider system-wide logged 451 rides on the W1: Waltham Shuttle, traveling between the 225 Second Ave (Sanofi) shuttle stop and Waltham Center. In plain terms, they rode in both directions on nearly every in-service workday.
On the Alewife System, this year’s top rider completed 445 rides on Route A6, traveling between 35 Gatehouse Dr (Alexandria RE Equities) and Alewife Station—the kind of consistent ridership that helps keep a shared route thriving.
Over on the N1: Needham Shuttle, this year’s #1 rider took 422 rides between 89 A St (MCPF-Needham, LLC) and Newton Highlands.
And on the R1: REV Bus Hartwell Area, the top rider logged 384 rides between 10 Maguire Rd (Lexington Labs) and Alewife Station.
