Boston City Councilors say the $85 million the city directly pays into the MBTA every year should at least buy them a meeting with T officials to press their case to do more than just maintain an increasingly unreliable system they say particularly penalizes residents who don't live near a subway stop.
"It's cheaper to go from Hyde Park to Providence than to go from Hyde Park to Ruggles on the commuter rail," Councilor Michelle Wu (at large) said, in filing a formal request for a hearing at which to try to get T officials to attend to explain everything from fares on commuter rail to why the T thinks it deserves a possible fare increase.
In her formal request for a hearing, she added:
At current MBTA service levels, certain buses and subway trains are so crowded during rush hour that many commuters must “go out to go in,†traveling first in the opposite direction from their destination to be able to access transit in the intended direction, yet the MBTA is considering fare increases for the next fiscal year, which would disproportionately burden Boston residents and especially lowincome and working class residents who most need access to affordable, reliable public transit.
"If the MBTA was a business, they'd be out of business," fumed Councilor Tim McCarthy (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan), who has been complaining about commuter-rail fares in Hyde Park and Roslindale for years.
"It's absurd that residents of the city of Boston pay different fares to go into town," Councilor Matt O'Malley (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain), said. "It's simply unjust," agreed Councilor Ayanna Pressley (at large).
Unlike Mayor Walsh, who has been reluctant to raise the issue, councilors said the $85 million a year the city of Boston directly pays the T each year for the privilege of being in the T district should be a lever to get both more equitable fares and better service.
"That's real money," McCarthy said. "The MBTA does not service Boston residents well."
"The city of Boston pays a huge amount of money into the T and deserves to have a seat at the table," agreed Councilor Josh Zakim (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South End, Fenway), who added state officials need to start thinking about real investments in the system, not just fare increases and cost cutting. He added, "we had a very different response when Gov. Patrick was there."
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Comments
All of these price points get
By DTP
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 8:59am
No. Because you AREN'T getting the same product.
All of those modes you mentioned have different levels of comfort and speed. Commuter rail to subway is by far more comfortable, and usually the fastest. Local bus the whole way is the least comfortable, and definitely the slowest.
You pay more for better service. It's that simple. If you think they're equivalent then perhaps you should try only taking local buses everywhere for a month. See how equivalent of service that really is.
I ran some numbers
By Waquiot
Wed, 02/14/2018 - 11:09pm
These are very rough estimates. Taking the difference between monthly pass prices and multiplying by 10 (accounting for the trains being used by some people covered by reduced fares) and multiplying that number by the ridership given in the most recently published MBTA Blue Book, I come up with the 1,548 people who board at zone one stations in Boston spending an extra $1,791,810 in aggregate (1,548 times $1,157.5) and those 621 souls who board at Readville spending and extra $827,482.50 in aggregate (621 times $1332.50) compared with using a Link Pass. That works out to $2,619,292.50, again a rough estimate.
The reasons why proposals such as the ones McCarthy and Wu make me wince is that the $2.6 million has to come from somewhere. Either the T would have to raise fares some other way or the City would have to step up with an increased assessment, which would come from somewhere in the city budget. Perhaps they close a few libraries or a fire station. Maybe cut back on street cleaning. Not for naught, but this has to be factored in.
Or the opposite?
By Parkwayne
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 7:13am
I.e. the MBTA budget allocates $2.6m more in funding to city service if that proportionate to the amount Boston pays into the system?
Except
By michellewu
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 7:14am
Ridership would change if fares changed. More people would take the commuter rail more frequently than they do now if all neighborhoods had an equitable fare. The question is whether it would be so many more people that it ends up being cost-neutral or even increases revenue from people switching from bus or car to commuter rail. We’re trying to gauge that from our survey which asks how many times per month someone rides now, their current mode of transportation for commuting, and how many times they’d ride the commuter rail if fares were equitable. Here’s the survey: bit.ly/MBTACRfares.
Even if there ends up being some lost revenue (which again wouldn’t be as high as simply the number of riders times the decrease in price per ticket), there would be benefit to the transit system from relieving congestion on the orange line and traffic that delays buses.
You already have an equitable fare
By anon
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 9:23am
I live closer in than Roslindale, but not in Boston. Of course I pay less. Simple.
My city's assessment is less because we get six total buses between 7pm and midnight - counting all lines.
Mode would most likely change
By Waquiot
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 10:59am
More people would ride the commuter rail and less would ride the bus and Orange Line if all of Boston were in 1A, with perhaps a few Bostonians ditching their car. I don’t see the cost of a zone 2 pass being more than parking downtown.
But good luck convincing the T to lose revenue.
Nobody should ever decide
By anon
Fri, 02/16/2018 - 12:19pm
Nobody should ever decide against taking the commuter rail because of the price. That's why we subsidize mass transit. It should be people's primary choice.
Everyone near a commuter rail station in Southern Boston
By Waquiot
Fri, 02/16/2018 - 4:07pm
Has ample access to less expensive mass transit, running at greater frequency than the commuter rail.
It’s a premium service and should be priced as such.
Nobody should ever decide
By anon
Fri, 02/16/2018 - 1:34pm
Nobody should ever decide against taking the commuter rail because of the price. That's why we subsidize mass transit. It should be people's primary choice.
How about the school kids
By Bobp
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 7:49am
Now riding the Needham line every day. they have a school pass. why aren't they paying full fare for the convenience of riding the commuter? There are other ways to gain revenue
So
By anon
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 9:28am
You want them to drive instead?
i want them to pay or take the bus
By Bobp
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 9:49am
they are upgrading for free, not really free since boston taxpayers are paying for their pass now
It's more efficient to carry
By anon
Fri, 02/16/2018 - 12:15pm
It's more efficient to carry large groups of people by rail than by bus.
Free fare days for the T.
By theszak
Thu, 02/15/2018 - 9:47am
From time to time a free fare afternoon, day, weekend, week, month or free repeat trip to improve commerce in partnership with corporate partners just like it's done at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston Admissions http://www.mfa.org/visit
Marketing/promotion of public transit can be better!
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