The bus follows a curve in the road, past boarded up buildings and pulls into a bustling Dudley Station, where commuters run to catch one of the 15 transfers and locals head home.

Like in Harvard Square, the sidewalks are brick. A large beige bank presides over the square, while smaller sub shops, beauty salons and bargain clothing stores line the streets.

Teenagers with Walkmen and books head toward the bus station, shouting to each other; mothers push baby carriages across the main street.

But the buses veering in and out of the station, which spans a square block, add noise and confusion to the scene.

"It used to be quiet. There weren't a lot of people here," says Frances Jenkins, a housekeeper who lived in Dudley Square during the '70s and '80s.

"It was primarily white when I moved in, but now you see a very diversified place," she says.

"In Harvard Square, the difference I see is that there are more businesses, restaurants--a lot more things to do than in this section, and that makes a big difference," she says.

A few people are already waiting for the next number one to come in the designated waiting area. The bus will head back to Harvard Square along the same route, and the passengers will shift once more.

"You get all different people on this bus," says Johnson, the retired bus driver, as he taps a brightly colored umbrella on the ground. "All different people."