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MBTA still looking to increase fares or slash service
By adamg on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 5:57pm
Looks like the extra revenue from the increase in the sales tax won't cut it for T officials, who have scheduled hearings on possible fare hikes of nearly 20%. Basic CharlieCard fares would go from $1.70 to $2.00, while bus fares would rise from $1.25 to $1.50. Commuter-rail riders would also see increases.
Without the increases, the T says it will have to cut service, including a reduction in bus service of 50% after 8 p.m. and on weekends, elimination of all weekend Mattapan line service, elimination of several "redundant" Green Line stops and the entire E line past Brigham Circle, reducing all midday and post-8 p.m. subway service by 50% and cancellation of all ferry service. Also: the last commuter rail trains out of Boston would leave by 7 p.m. and there would be no weekend service at all on commuter lines.
The first "workshop" on the T budget is Aug. 10 at 4 p.m. at the State House, followed by meetings on Aug. 11 in Revere, Aug. 12 in Braintree, and Aug. 13 in Somerville. The last three sessions all start at 5:30 p.m., which, of course, gives many working people little time to get to them.
More details from the MBTA (PDF document).
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Comments
I'm all for eliminating
I'm all for eliminating unnecessary green line stops, but I'm still confused as to how that will save money.
please do eliminate some stops on green line
eliminating some stops on the green line, esp B line would actually improve service, but I seriously doubt that the MBTA will go through with it even if they don't get the requested funding.
YES a certain University could just get one stop...
Seriously everytime I ride the B Line I think to myself why the hell does BU have like 8 stops??? The school should get ONE central stop - Like everyother University in the Boston/Cambridge Area.
Let's not go crazy
BU has "like 8 stops" because its campus is over a mile long and runs down the entire length of Comm Ave from Kenmore to Packard's Corner. It has too many, but 1 stop at somewhere like BU West isn't the answer either.
A stop at Packard's Corner, Agganis Arena, BU Central, and potentially Blandford would simplify the line and still reach all of the important side areas surrounding each stop.
Even when above ground, the Green Line needs to start being seen as a high-speed rail option and less of a "streetcar" and let the buses, like the 57, handle anything super-local.
De facto stop elimination
... especially since they run so many impromptu "express" trips that some of the intermediate stops only get served by half the trains anyway. I'm sure that "improves" their on-time numbers.
The bunching of Green Line trains in the subway is appalling. Make note of the ones that go by: B, E, B, D, E, D, C. Delayed inbound trains are turned around at Park Street or Government Center, which adds to the problem. Could they possibly have a dispatcher change the route of outbound trains to equalize the outbound distribution?
Sigh
Also: the last commuter rail trains out of Boston would leave by 7 p.m. and there would be no weekend service at all on commuter lines.
These people obviously haven't ridden the commuter rail at night. It's consistently packed on the MBCR trains I take after 7.
absolutely
I hardly know anyone who keeps a strict 9-5 anymore. My husband consistently takes a 7:15 train home.
This would also severely impact me as a stay-at-home-parent. I am always on the T, and more often the bus, during off-peak times.
It all seems so frustratingly backwards to me. Surely inconveniencing customers is only going to force more of them into private cars and taxis if they need to get where they are going, right? How on earth can that generate the needed revenue?
I took the commuter rail
I took the commuter rail from Lowell a lot until about 3 years ago, and every time I took it on the weekend, it was at least 80% full when it left Lowell, to say nothing of the riders picked up at non-terminus stops.
The MBTA's logic on this is baffling at best.
Won't killing the commuter
Won't killing the commuter rail service kill some small suburban towns that thrive on tourism, like Rockport and Plymouth (They say to cut the Plymouth stop completely) Maybe they have a more diversified economy and can weather through it, but I forsee a lot of vacancies on the Bear's Neck in Rockport if this happens. As if the weather hasn't been bad enough for them this year.
Also, their proposed cuts eliminate all bus routes to my office in the suburbs. Granted most of us drive, but having the option to take the bus when gas is high, do a bike/bus combo or take the bus in the winter is going to hurt. There are also others here who rely solely on the bus to get to the office. Is the MBTA going to buy them a car now or should they just put in their two weeks notice? I'm sure there are others who will have it a lot worse than us, say those on commuter rail lines or ferry lines, but still.
Not to mention that the
Not to mention that the state has been pushing many cities and towns to develop denser communities in the areas around the commuter rail stops. How will these dense communities fair in a depressed economy if you pull out evening and weekend service on the rail stations? I am looking at Salem with its large condo community adjacent to the train station as an example as the bus is not a realistic option and its a pretty long drive from Boston even without traffic. If the train is not going to service them future buyers in the Salem market will be better off just buying something nowhere near the train station if they are not going to use it anyway.
Do you know who votes??? The
Do you know who votes??? The commuter rail sector votes, they vote allot. If you ask me it was a smart move to target them because they will rally to stop the cuts from happening.
Consistent service is the only way to build ridership
My theory is that ridership increases only when there is consistent, decently spaced service throughout the day. You won't get on the train in the morning if being late for your return train would force you to wait three hours, or if missing the last train might strand you in the city. The corollary is that tailoring service only for the highest-volume trains will lose many more passengers than one might think.
A couple of things that jumped out at me in my quick scan of the
I bet fare collection could account for more than 48% of the MBTA's operating budget if they did, in fact, collect all of the fares that they should. It's about 300% easier to get on the subway without paying with the CharlieGates than it was with turnstiles, and everything I read in the news and hear from my coworkers is that fares are collected on the commuter rail less than 50% of the time. They are literally throwing away millions of dollars.
Also, they say 0 customers will be affected by killing the E Line past Brigham circle, and not running the E Line entirely on weekends (which I'm sure the BSO and MFA are thrilled about), because "it is expected that customers will either travel to a nearby station or ride the 39 bus". Clearly, they have never engaged in a trip that involved already being on the subway and having to transfer to the 39. And then, since all post-8:00pm and weekend bus service is going to be cut by 50%... they're going to make a lot of people unhappy.
Do they still have people collecting fares?
On the commuter rails? I always thought there could be a better way of collecting money than actually having people walk down the aisles collecting.
There is an alternative used
There is an alternative used in Europe.
Self validation. Have a cheap machine stamp your ticket with time and date as you board. If when the conductor comes to check, you havent stamped it, or its expired, you pay a 80$+ fine. If they dont collect it, youll need a ticket next time because your old one is expired.
The current system allows you to buy a ticket and use it many times until its finally collected
Proof of Payment or PoP
Proof of Payment or PoP systems don't work as well in the US, as our constitution bans on the spot fines.
The transit authorities of
The transit authorities of Baltimore, Buffalo, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New Jersey Transit, Newark Light Rail, Portland Tri-Met, CalTrain, and San Diego, among others, would be surprised by that.
Here is a longer list.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but
Correct me if I'm wrong, but some cities also do this.
It's cheaper to work on this honor system, and employee officers, and level huge fines for those who violate it. Don't pay the fine? Can't register a car, apply for any permits, ect.
Tourists on the E Line
Also, much of the E line traffic on weekends is for the MFA--do they really want tourists to have to switch from subway to bus to get there?
Not to mention how much it would kill the city if suburbanites could not come in on weekends thanks to an end to commuter rail service.
MFA unaffected
Riders heading to the MFA will still be able to do so by subway all the way. Busing would start at Brigham Circle, further down the line.
MFA most certainly affected
Ah
Missed that because it wasn't written above and I'm too lazy to load the full pdf.
Orange Line?
It's a pretty quick walk from Ruggles to the MFA...maybe 5 minutes total
Killing all the birds with one stone
Why be forced to choose? Increasing fares will lead to declining ridership, which will allow them to cut service and have both of their wishes granted.
Naturally, the obvious solution is never the one the T planners come up with. For starters, cut redundant bus routes:
A. Combine the #4 with the #7 which largely shares its route.
B. Eliminate the SL2 since the #4 travels the same route.
C. Combine the #10 and #55 and eliminate having buses lay over at Copley (and block traffic).
D. Combine the #9 and #39 (ditto) -- or combine the #39 and #43 and eliminate redundant service on Huntington.
E. Eliminate the #25 (same route served by #28)
F. Combine the #CT1 and #91 and eliminate having buses lay over at Central (and block traffic).
G. Combine the #47 and #15 and eliminate having buses lay over at Dudley.
LEAVE THE 55 ALONE! That is
LEAVE THE 55 ALONE! That is a critical route for the West Fenway!
Green Line fare collection mess
I board the Green Line at Cleveland Circle, and about half the time the drivers are so late getting back from their breaks that they hustle people onto the trains and refuse to let them pay,
Bus fare collection mess
I ride the buses in Somerville regularly (of which 3 routes are slated for possible elimination it looks like). Often the fare collection machines are not working properly on the buses and riders get to ride without having to pay.
You really think that
You really think that increased fare collection would bring in an additional $239 million, compared to the $441 million (31% of revenues) being brought in now? (See the 2008 numbers in the budget.) Also note that that 31% is up from 25-26% in pre-CharlieCard days.
I think fare evasion in the subway system is harder, not easier, but it's a lot more visible now, since it usually involves following another person. Jumping or sliding a turnstile could be done with nobody nearby.
Questionable Statement?
Adam:
I think the T is deeply flawed, in many ways, but I also think that last sentence is a bit of a journalistic cheap shot.
Yes, some people will not be able to get to the meetings by the start time. However, consider the following:
Many "working people" get up very early. If the T schedules a meeting to begin at 7:30 or 8:00, with conclusion at 10:30 or 11:00 and a subsequent commute of some sort afterward, it could just as easily be argued that they were unfairly limiting access to "working people" in that fashion. And if they scheduled at 6:30 or 7:00, the complaint could be made they they were interfering with folk's supper. It's a no-win for the T on this and (to my eyes) you appear to be pandering to an audience that is already decidedly anti-T.
My apologies if I'm being overly-sensitive about this, but (as you know) I have a spouse who has served on the T Rider Oversight Committee for many years now. She has truly tried to affect needed change from the inside, often finding herself frustrated in those efforts, and it doesn't make matters easier when otherwise very nice people such as yourself introduce a side grievance into the argument that may have no solution amenable to a majority.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Most public meetings I know
Most public meetings I know of tend to start at 6pm or a little later. A half hour is just not long enough to get to a meeting if you get out of work at 5 and many people get out of work at 5:30 making it impossible.
I know plenty of people who get out of work at 2pm (teachers) and 3pm (many city employees, service sector employees) but for the most part not too many people get out at 4pm or 4:30pm. The evening service employees tend to get into work between 5-6:30pm so this does not help them either. Overall at 5:30 start time does not help anyone but those people who are ALREADY at the location for work which strongly implies they do not rely on the MBTA for their transit needs.
Seconded
6pm is a good time for public meetings in town.
That lets 9-5ers get to the meeting in time.
30 minutes chair-to-chair is not necessarily enough time, whether you're T-ing or driving.
Any extra time in there can be spent finding a snack vending machine or (gasp) talking with other attendees.
I appreciate her effforts
And now that I'm living a life of ease, I can make 5:30 meetings, but 6 p.m. or even better, 6:30, would let people who get out of work at 5 or 5:30 have a chance of making the meeting while not inconveniencing people who have to be up early the next morning.
The T has been pulling this sort of thing for years with its meetings.
Replies Noted, And Appreciated
My point, as I'm sure you understood, was that there will always be complaints from some, no matter when the meetings are scheduled. C'est la vie.
For what it's worth, MY WIFE attends meetings of T-ROC that mostly begin at 4:00 or 4:30. She probably attends two a month on average, and has done so for a number of years. These do NOT fit into her schedule (9-5), but she arranges with her employer to make up the hours for leaving early. I'm sure that most folks who are very adamant about change for the T, and express such strong sentiments and commitment here, could certainly make similar arrangements for ONE day, barring having Simon Legree for a boss.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Leaving early is generally harder for lower-income people
And lower-income seem to be the emphasis of the T.
Sure, I've Been Those People
I haven't been making the medium-sized bucks which I now do for all of my life. I've been an order picker in a warehouse, a cab driver, an ice cream truck guy, worked in a fruit and produce delivery business, a security guard, a garage cleaner, a street sweeper, a porter, one of the vast and numberless entry-level clerks for an insurance company, etc., etc., stretching out to some 35 or 40 shit positions until well into my thirties, so I'm not coming at this from some elitist "let them eat cake" vantage point.
I took the T almost everywhere I needed to go for years. When I talk about "working people" rising early, I say that because I did it for years. When I talk about similarly having a need to get to sleep earlier, ditto. And when I suggest that leaving work an hour early, for ONE day, would hardly be some sort of hardship, I speak from having done so, for a variety of reasons, many times during my laughable and ill-paid careers. As I say, unless your boss is a total a-hole, it's not that hard to get an hour off, especially if you have the verbal skills needed to actually participate meaningfully at the meetings we're discussing.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Understood
I still suspect that 6pm is more doable than 5:30pm for many T riders, without unduly inconveniencing others.
Early-birds like construction workers who get up at 5am can still get a OK-enough sleep after a 6pm meeting.
Night shift workers, I'm not sure how to accommodate them.
And, Not To Dismiss The 6pm Suggestion...
I also believe that 6pm would probably be a better time. I'm only saying that 5:30 isn't hideous.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
5:30 meeting time
Perhaps this is so the meetings will end early enough for people to get to North/South Station by 7:00 and be able to grab the last train home?
LOL
LOL
They can count on losing my
They can count on losing my $60 month pass and ridership. Frak em.
Dan has to go, and no new revenue until major reform inside the MBTA, and with union contracts. This shiat has got to stop.
It can't be much $
...but they could certainly save a buck or two on those pointless "Transit Watch" dog and pony acts, particularly if they put the cops to work checking fares on the Green Line.