On February 29, the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board officially announced the termination of late-night service after March 18, when the board has cast their vote against its continuation.

The service will return to its regular schedule, with all trains and buses running only until 12:30am every day.

As for reasons for cancellation, MBTA official Charles Planck indicated that the ridership has been steadily decreasing since the start of the late-night service. While the number of people using the service was at 16,000 in the beginning, it has plummeted to 13,000.

Due to the large deficit the MBTA is facing, the service was deemed financially unsustainable. By cutting the late-night schedule, the MBTA could save around $14 million.

While this announcement comes to the disappointment of many Bostonians, there have been many speculations this year that the financially-troubled MBTA might drop the weekend-night trains and busses. Earlier this year, it came to light that drivers were not given the option to sign up for late-night shifts on the weekend, which might have been already an indicator of the end.

Another possible sign of the now-official cut was that last year the service was already reduced by half an hour from 2.30am to 2.am and bus lines being dropped.

Furthermore, the MBTA has long been discussing ways to decrease the projected deficit of $243 million.

Other proposals have included fare increases and reduction of workers’ overtime. The MBTA stated in January that reducing this budget gap is considered to be to most important aspect of this year’s planning.

By approving several changes to the MBTA’s structure and service, management has achieved a reduction in the projected deficit by a large number, now estimated to reach $138 million.

This will be the second time the MBTA has ended a late-night service. In 2005, the late-night bus service called “Night Owl” was dropped after four years of service.

Since the official announcement, there have been large protests in the overall population. However, a startup transit company called “Bridj” has announced that it would be willing to act as a replacement for the late-night service.

According to CEO Matthew George, the business could provide a shuttle service to late-night riders, as well as providing service based on a contract basis. According to an official statement on the company’s website, it could cut operating costs by 30% to 70%.

Since Bridj’s founding in 2014, it has offered transportation service only between select Boston neighborhoods. It is not the first time that Bridj would work closely together with a public transit system.

Recently, the company has teamed up with Kansas City, Missouri to provide a more extensive transportation service to citizens.