Riders

Download the app & set up your account

For full functionality, set up an account using a work email address and allow Tripshot to use your location & send you notifications. Full instructions below.

1. Using your phone’s app store, search for and download “Tripshot.” Or if you’re currently on your phone, you can just follow this link. If you’re on your computer but have your phone with you, you can scan this QR code with your phone’s camera:
2. Once Tripshot is downloaded, open the app and search for “The Grid.” Or, click “Choose public system” and select it from the list.
3. Select “Sign up” to create an account.
4. Enter your email address. If you qualify for a reduced member fare through your employer, please use a work email address.
5. Tripshot will then email you a link to confirm your account. Follow the provided link and complete the form.
6. The app’s trip planning functionality works best if you allow Tripshot to use your location.
7. Similarly, the app’s departure-specific alert functionality works best if you allow Tripshot to send you notifications.

1. You can jump straight to trip planning from the “Explore” function, which is the default screen upon launching the app. Find a stop of interest, and then touch “From” or “To” at the bottom of the screen, depending upon whether you would like this to be your origin or destination. The app will automatically use your current location as the other point.
2. You can also enter your origin or destination by:
   • typing in any address;
   • beginning to type the address of a 128BC shuttle stop and selecting from the options that pop up;
   • scrolling through the complete list of stops;
   • or selecting “Choose On Map” and finding your destination geographically.
3. If you attempt to connect between two stops on different routes, the trip planner will tell you that “no route on a shuttle service could be found.”
4. If either your origin or your destination is not a 128BC shuttle stop, your directions will include a walking, biking, or driving leg.
5. You can select whether you would like the trip planner to rely upon walking, biking, or driving for non-shuttle legs by touching the settings icon directly below the origin/destination menu. (Note that there are maximum distances set by the app for walking and biking. As a result, you may encounter a “No route” message if the required walking or biking distance is too far.) From this screen, you can also select whether you would like to depart now, depart at a later date, or structure the trip around a particular arrival time.
6. Click any of the displayed trip options to view a map and more detailed timetable.
7. To save a trip between an origin and destination that you use frequently, touch the heart icon. (Note that you can only save trips directly from one 128BC stop to another, not trips that involve walking, biking, or driving legs.) You can access your saved trips by clicking the white heart at the top of the screen next to “Trip Planner.”
8. You can also access the “Trip Planner” by clicking the road sign icon in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen.

1. Notifications are set up directly from the Trip Planner.
2. Touch the particular trip that you are interested in, and then swipe up to reveal the more detailed timetable.
3. Click on the alarm clock icon in order to set a notification for that particular departure or arrival.
4. You can then control:
   • how late the shuttle needs to be in order to generate a notification;
   • whether you want to be notified when the vehicle is approaching;
   • whether you want to set the notification for a particular date or ‘subscribe’ to the notification on an ongoing basis;
   • on which days of the week you would like to receive notifications;
   • and whether you would like to receive the notification as a text message, a push notification through the app, or both.
5. Be sure to click “Save.”
6. You can view, edit, or delete the notifications that you’ve set up by selecting “Notifications” on the app’s sidebar.

If your employer/worksite pays the full cost of your shuttle ride, you MAY be able to skip this step.

Set up your preferred payment method

You can purchase single- or multi-ride “Passes” or pay for each ride at the time of boarding using your “Balance.” See full instructions below.

1. Select “Wallet” from the main menu.
2. Select “Passes” to purchase single- or multi-ride passes. You need to press the + symbol to view the list of passes available to Grid riders.
3. Or select “Balance” to add funds directly to your wallet, which can be used to purchase single- or multi-ride passes at a later time or to directly withdraw the cost of a single trip at the time of boarding.
4. From the Wallet screen, you can also:
   • View, edit, or remove saved credit cards by selecting “Saved Credit Cards.”
   • View past transactions and generate receipts by selecting “Transactions.”

Board using bluetooth

If your phone’s bluetooth is turned on, Tripshot will automatically detect approaching vehicles and display them in the “Nearby Vehicles” list. See full instructions below.

1. Make sure your phone’s bluetooth is turned on.
2. As your shuttle is approaching, select “Wallet” from the main menu and select your shuttle from the “Nearby Vehicles” list.
3. Tripshot will automatically convert one ride from your purchased “Passes” into an active ticket. If you have no purchased passes for the route you’re trying to ride, Tripshot will instead deduct the cost of a single ride from your “Balance.”
   • If you have no relevant purchased passes nor sufficient balance, you will be unable to complete this step and board.
   • If your employer/worksite pays the full cost of your shuttle rides and if you have received confirmation that you’ve been approved for this benefit, Tripshot will automatically generate a free ticket for you when you select your shuttle from the “Nearby Vehicles” list. You don’t need to purchase passes or add funds to your wallet.
4. The active ticket screen will appear and display a two-digit code. Keep this screen open so you can show the code to your driver.

Board using QR code

Every shuttle has a vehicle-specific QR code posted inside the door which you can scan from within the app in order to pay & board. See full instructions below.

1. Select “Wallet” from the main menu and then select “Board by scanning QR code.” Note that you must use this button within Tripshot Wallet. Scanning the QR code through your phone’s camera app will not work.
2. Locate the vehicle-specific QR code just inside your shuttle’s door.
3. Tripshot will automatically convert one ride from your purchased “Passes” into an active ticket. If you have no purchased passes, Tripshot will instead deduct the cost of a single ride from your “Balance.”
   • If you have no relevant purchased passes nor sufficient balance, you will be unable to complete this step and board.
   • If your employer/worksite pays the full cost of your shuttle rides and if you have received confirmation that you’ve been approved for this benefit, Tripshot will automatically generate a free ticket for you when you select your shuttle from the “Nearby Vehicles” list. You don’t need to purchase passes or add funds to your wallet.
4. The active ticket screen will appear and display a two-digit code. Keep this screen open so you can show the code to your driver.

See the Rider FAQ section below for common questions related to the mobile app and mobile ticketing. Just scroll down to “MOBILE TICKETING” and/or “FARES & MEMBERSHIP.”

Commuter benefits (formally known as “Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits”) are employer-provided programs that allow employees to use pre-tax income to pay for eligible commuting costs, such as public transit (including 128BC shuttles), vanpool fares, and commuter parking. They typically come in the form of a paper voucher or debit card. Please note commuter benefit debit cards are not accepted by the Tripshot Mobile App at this time. 128BC is working on solutions to this issue, but we do not have a timeline for resolution yet.

Commuter benefits are issued by your employer. Most often, your HR or Benefits department will be able to answer questions about commuter the benefits program(s). 128BC cannot answer specific questions about your company’s commuter benefits program.

In some cases, you may also be able to contact the Benefits provider directly (e.g. HealthEquity, WageWorks, or MyChoice) for specific account information.

If you’re wondering how to redeem your funds from a paper voucher through Tripshot, see the next question.

Paper vouchers should be mailed to us at:

128 Business Council 
c/o The Operations Dept
1077 Lexington St, Suite 200
Waltham, MA 02452

Please include a separate note with your name, the email address associated with your Tripshot account, and phone number in the event we need to contact you.

Do not endorse the voucher by signing the back of it, as the funds are paid to the order of 128 Business Council.

Please ensure that your voucher has not expired before mailing it. 128BC will not validate expired vouchers.

128BC can only process commuter benefits in the form of paper vouchers at this time. 

Once we receive your voucher(s) in the mail, the funds are applied directly to the Tripshot account associated with the email address you provided.

You may then use the funds to make in-app purchases for single-ride tickets, multi-ride passes, etc.

You can apply pre-tax income to multiple transit agencies, including the MBTA. However, you’ll need to allocate funds separately for each agency. In order to purchase shuttle passes via Tripshot, your voucher must be made out to 128 Business Council.

Due to ongoing changes to IRS guidelines for commuter benefits, commuter benefits cards are currently not accepted through the Tripshot app. If you receive your benefits via debit card, please contact your account manager to update your preferences. While some agencies may continue accepting the debit card, 128BC and Tripshot are unable to accept them at this time.

128 Business Council designs, negotiates and manages the shuttle programs listed on this website, and partners with independent vendors that operate the shuttle vehicles with our oversight. We are a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization.

Read more about our mission and history.

128 Business Council is funded almost entirely by member companies committed to the economic viability of the Route 128 West region and beyond. Our members participate in shared routes, thereby providing a benefit for all who commute in the area. 128BC pools the funds of these companies to provide services that would otherwise be financially out of reach for a single company acting alone. However, it is a manifestation of our core values that the majority of our shuttle services remain open to the general public.

Our drivers check shuttles after each shift for personal items that riders have left behind, and they always let us know if they find anything. If you think that you’ve lost something on one of our vehicles, please fill out our Lost & Found form.

We offer a program to member riders called “Emergency Ride Home” (ERH), which provides commuters who use alternative transportation (including those who use our shuttles) with a guaranteed ride home in the event of an emergency.

128 Business Council shuttle routes are designed to provide commuter service to and from MBTA stations and other hubs in accordance with common daytime work schedules, i.e. toward work in the morning and away from work in the afternoon.

Due to operational logistics*, we cannot guarantee the possibility of ‘reverse-direction travel’ for any of our routes.

While we cannot provide this service on a regular basis, we may, on a case-by-case basis, be able to accommodate reverse direction travel for a single trip on a single day. Please contact us at least one business day in advance for approval and scheduling.

If a reverse-direction trip is approved, the following policies apply: (1) You must pay the standard fare as applicable for your stop and member status. (2) Approval will only be given for a single trip. We cannot accommodate reverse-direction travel for multiple days at a time. (3) You will be instructed to be at the shuttle pick-up point 15-25 minutes in advance of shuttle’s expected arrival. (4) As soon as you arrive at your stop, you must contact Shuttle Dispatch [hyperlink] by phone to confirm your pick-up information. (4) The shuttle may need to make other scheduled stops en route to your destination.

*e.g. necessary routing constraints, shuttles being shared across multiple routes, scheduled breaks for our drivers, etc.

Check the page for your particular shuttle route to see the specific policies for boarding your vehicle in the evening.

Only certified service animals are allowed on 128 Business Council shuttles. We cannot allow pets otherwise, due to potential space constraints and allergy concerns.

Yes, our fleet is entirely accessible (lift-equipped).

The most up-to-the-minute alerts about weather- or traffic-related delays are communicated via Tripshot, our rider app. You can also track your shuttle through the app (or use the Shuttle Tracker button located on the webpage for your particular shuttle route) to project your shuttle’s arrival time.

We have a whole section devoted to our Snow Policy.

Only riders who are affiliated with a 128 Business Council member company (either because the member company is the rider’s employer or because the rider’s employer is a tenant of a member company) are eligible to ride on the reduced (member) fare.

If you are affiliated with a 128 Business Council member organization, there are two steps that must occur before you can ride at the reduced (member) rate:

1. First, create your Tripshot account. Whenever possible, use a work email that shows your organization’s domain name.
2. Second…
   • If your employer is a direct member of 128 Business Council, rather than your employer’s property manager: As long as you’ve created your Tripshot account using your corporate email address, you should* see the reduced (member) fare available as soon as the sign-up process has been completed.
   • If your employer’s property manager is a member of 128 Business Council, not your employer: Please contact your member representative to be added to their list of approved riders.* You must provide your member representative with the same email address you used to create your Tripshot account. If you haven’t received information from your organization about how to contact your member representative for approval, please email us. We will connect you!

*If you are charged the full (non-member) fare rate while you are waiting to be approved, or if you do not see the appropriate fare reflected in your Tripshot app for any other reason, please email us for further assistance. Member-affiliated riders who are charged incorrectly may be eligible for a Tripshot Wallet credit.

As described in the directions above, once you’ve downloaded the Tripshot app, selected “The Grid” as your system, and entered your email address, you should receive an automatically-generated email with the link you need to finish setting up your account.

The email should come from no-reply-at-tripshot-dot-com, and the subject line should read “Signup with Tripshot.” If this email doesn’t appear in your inbox, even after several minutes have elapsed, please check your spam/junk folders.

If you still cannot find the email, even after checking your spam/junk folders, please email us.

If your employer is a direct member of 128 Business Council, rather than your employer’s property manager: As long as you’ve created your Tripshot account using your corporate email address, you should see the reduced (member) fare available as soon as the sign-up process has been completed. If you completed this step but are not seeing the reduced fare in the ticket menu, double-check that you set up your account using your company email address. If you used an email address without a recognized corporate email domain, you may need to set up a new account. If this still does not work, please email us.

If your employer’s property manager is a member of 128 Business Council, not your employer: You need to have your name and email address added to your property manager’s list of approved riders. Please contact your member representative and provide them with the same email address you used to create your Tripshot account. (If you haven’t received information from your organization about how to contact your member representative for approval, please email us. We will connect you!) Once you’ve been added to their list, please allow one full business day for the reduced fares to appear in your Tripshot account.

Whenever you pay for multi-ride passes, your purchased passes will appear as “unactivated” under the Tripshot Wallet Passes screen. Nothing is wrong! As soon as you are ready to board using Bluetooth or an onboard QR code, the app will automatically activate a single ticket, which will remain active for one hour.

Active tickets remain active for one hour. You can return to the active ticket screen by selecting “Wallet” from the main menu and then selecting “Tickets.”

Please email us and we will see what we can do. Please note that we cannot refund the cost of trips that have already been taken, but we may be able to issue you a Tripshot Wallet credit, which you can use to purchase future passes.

Please email us and we will see what we can do.

No, but we strongly recommend it. Using Tripshot Wallet allows you to pay your fare with the least amount of hassle and at the lowest possible cost since multi-ride passes are only available through the app.

If you qualify for a reduced (member) fare through your employer, worksite, or other organizational affiliation, you can only access this reduced fare by downloading the app and setting up an account that can be verified by your organization.

Plus, the app also allows you to plan your trips, track your shuttle, and set up departure-specific alerts.

Yes, you need to set up an account to use the app.

If you qualify for a reduced (member) fare through your employer, worksite, or other organizational affiliation, we use the email address affiliated with your account to verify your affiliation. Please use a work email address showing your organization’s domain name.

If you still have paper tickets from our pre-mobile ticketing days, you can use them up. However, no new paper tickets will be issued.

If you really want to pay in cash, you can do so using your shuttle’s farebox. However, you will need to pay the full (non-member) fare and you will need to provide exact change. Shuttle operators do not carry cash, change, or tickets.

REV Bus-Lexington Center fares remains $1.00 per trip for both cash and mobile ticketing. However, again, cash fares must be paid with exact change, and multi-ride passes are only available through Tripshot Wallet.

With the exception of the Vox on Two route, 128 Business Shuttle/The Grid shuttles no longer use physical ID cards or stickers. All member organization affiliations are now tracked through the Tripshot app.

Again, the only exception to this is Vox on Two, which continues to use Vox on Two Shuttle ID cards for boarding.

Yes! The only way to access reduced member fares, including free fares, is by setting up a Tripshot Wallet account—preferably using a work email address—that your member organization can approve.

However, depending upon how your member organization provides the free shuttle rides to you, you may not need to set up a preferred payment method in the app. You should receive further information directly from your member organization about how fare-free boarding will work for your organization’s affiliates.

If you have not heard from your member organization and do not know who the appropriate contact person is, please email us.

Check the page for your particular shuttle route to see the specific fares and policies for boarding your vehicle. You can find this information under the “Fares & Tickets” tab. A summary of every route’s shuttle fare is also listed here.

With the exception of the Vox on Two shuttle, all 128 Business Shuttle/The Grid shuttles have been converted to mobile ticketing using the Tripshot rider app. You can find a thorough listing of Tripshot-specific FAQs above.

With the exception of the Vox on Two shuttle, all 128 Business Shuttle/The Grid shuttles are open to the public and require no special ticket or ID to board. However, we do strongly recommend downloading and setting up the Tripshot rider app ahead of time since all of our routes (with the exception of the Vox on Two shuttle) have been converted to mobile ticketing.

Check the page for your particular shuttle route to see the specific fares and policies for boarding your vehicle.

If you qualify for reduced (member) fares through affiliation with a member organization, you also no longer need a physical ID card or sticker. All member organization affiliations are now tracked through the Tripshot app. Again, the only exception to this is Vox on Two, which continues to use Vox on Two Shuttle ID cards for boarding.

Ask your property manager, facilities manager, or human resources department. (You can also check this list, although you may qualify through your worksite’s developer rather than your employer and thus you should still ask around.) Or contact us.

Yes! As long as the shuttle route is not marked “employees only” or “residents only,” that service is open to the general public. (Currently, this only applies to the Vox on Two shuttle.)

Note that non-member riders must use the shuttle at an established stop. Go to the page for your particular shuttle route to view its stops.

The Needham shuttle connects riders from the Newton Highlands MBTA Station (Green Line D) with the Needham Crossing area.

Waltham Route B connects riders from the Waltham Center Commuter Rail Station to the Winter Street area of Waltham.

Alewife Routes A-North, A-South, B, C & D connect riders from Alewife Station in Cambridge with various business corridors in Waltham and south Lexington.

The REV Bus—Hartwell Area route connects riders from Alewife Station to the Hartwell Avenue corridor in northwest Lexington and Bedford.

The REV Bus—Lexington Center connects riders traveling between Alewife Station and Lexington Center.

Additionally, the Vox on Two shuttle makes an express trip between the Vox on Two apartments and Alewife Station.

We know life happens and sometimes you forget what you need. Don’t worry: You will not be denied a trip.

The driver will ask you to fill out a form with your contact information as part of our Rider Responsibility program. A member of our team will then follow up with you by phone or email to make sure you have everything you need to avoid future mishaps—such as walking you through the creation of a Tripshot account.

We reserve the right to revoke riders’ shuttle privileges if: (1) more than three issues occur within a 30-day period, or (2) you refuse to leave your name and contact information with the driver. That said, we always prefer to help you instead!

128 Business Council is not affiliated with the MBTA. Neither CharlieCards nor MBTA passes are accepted for 128BC/The Grid shuttle travel.