Transcript of yesterday's fare-increase coverage on Twitter

Ed. note: Be glad I didn't succumb and call this a twanscwipt. Below are my notes from the fare-increase hearing. I've cleaned up some typos. Bostonist also tweeted the meeting.

William Mitchell, acting T GM: No fare increases until after top-to-bottom review.

State Rep. Katherine Clark (Wakefield): Issue of economic development; good T service vital to property values

Katherine Clark: to the T We gave you the money you wanted and now you say you need more. Cut the draconian fare increases.

Rep. Alice Wolf (Camb): Fare increases, svc cuts unacceptable - we gave the T $160M!

Carl Sciortino (Medford): Let the new transpo agency do its work. Longterm solution needed.

Some state rep, James Somethingorother from South Shore: We did our work, so cut the nonsense and leave the ferries alone!

State Rep. Mary Grant (Beverly): We deserve good service to make up for all the grade crossings we have.

Room erupts when Marty Walz asks how dare the T talk fare increases when it gave Danny $300,000.

As state reps tell the T to cut the fare crap, Grabauskas says he was scapegoated over fares

State Rep. Marie St. Fleur: Outrageous poor people are being forced to pay for state mismanagement via a T "tax."

Tom Tinlin, Menino's transportation director: 19.5% increase unfair.

Tinlin: Boston will pay the T $74 million in assessments. We pay our fair share and our residents deserve more.

Former state rep. John Businger: This issue too big for MBTA - we need a New England-wide transportation authority. MBTA is small minded.

Businger: Fools, don't abolish St. Mary's stop on C line.

Richard Sorel, resident: Domino effect, people stop taking the T, downtown fails and everybody is thrown out of work. CharlieTickets suck.

Sorel: How doing the unthinkable and reducing the fare? Huzzahs all around.

@theta1138 So far, you're right, nobody's brought up gas tax.

Jonathan Davis, T COO: Charliecard/ticket system reduced fare evasion by $13 million a year.

Blind Ride user: We have one of the best systems in country. Cut service and many disabled people will be confined to their homes.

Woman gets on at Cleveland Circle, watches T employees laughing, talking, eating. And lots of people are just waved on trolley.

Canton resident without car: Leave Canton alone!

Marshfield resident: The boat is the only part of the MBTA that runs like a jewel. Cut it and you'll have more people driving.

Marshfield woman: Criminal abuse of funds. Bonuses for managers, and healthcare for Grabauskas. ... You're not going to get any sympathy here because you're having money problems. We're having money problems.

Conservation Law Foundation: Current hearings are stupid because of D'Alessandro commission.

CLF VP: Fare hikes will lead to more global climate change.

CLF lady is not shutting up. The natives are growing restless

T guy got his first applause of the day for shutting her up.

Acting T General Manager William Mitchell has left the building. Or, at least, the room.

Brookline resident in favor of getting rid of "redundant" stops on the D, C lines, adopt ways to promote T ridership.

Sorry, acting GM hasn't left. He's just standing way in the back now. (Note: He did leave, soon after).

Adam Weiss: 100 Facebook T groups: 97 are negative, 1 is how cool it is to have a stop called Wonderland.

Weiss: T needs social-media presence - and meetings at times people can actually go to them.

Weiss: More than 100 Twitter posts already

T had to assume $3 BILLION in debt for transit projects related to the Big Dig.

Dorchester resident: The T should be free!

T Riders Union: Please, suspend increase, you got $160 million. I'm tired of revisiting , revisting, revisting fare increases..

I love Sonia Chang-Diaz. She was offered the mic and didn't take it! Only hear to listen.

30 cents of every dollar at the T simply pays for debt service.

There is a guy to testify in a red Yankee Hater hat.

RT @bostonist: willing to bet a monthly pass that all the suits at the public workshop drive home instead of taking the t

Another complaint about fare collection: Commuter-rail rider says the T needs to do better at, you know, collecting fares..

Jonathan Davis of the T: You're right, we need to hold MBCR accountable.

Chelsea guy: Get those baby carriages off buses! They're unsafe!

Franklin Line rider: If you went through with your cuts, I couldn't get home tonight.

Roslindale guy complains commuter rail not collecting fares, treating riders like trash.

Wow: Guy in Allston takes T to Fitchburg to teach at Fitchburg State College. "Outrageous" the T wants to cut service, raise fares.

T Rider Oversight Committee member Donna Purin notes none of the state reps who hogged the mic at the beginning is around to actually listen to riders.

Davis of the T: Most T employees doing the absolute best they can.

Sonia Chang-Diaz is only now leaving.

Davis: "We don't want to rasise fares. We don't want to reduce service." But trains don't run for free, people.