MBTA Fare Saga

As a loyal T rider and blogger on Boston transportation, you can imagine I have been following the recent series of events surrounding the proposed MBTA fare hikes and ultimate ouster of MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas. It has definitely been quite a wild ride and I had meant to get a few posts out urging action to halt a fare raise. The good news is that the fare hike has been delayed pending a full review of MBTA finances. The bad news is that the sorry state of affairs and structural budget problems the T faces may not be so easily overcome.

I certainly have conflicting opinions over a number of the things that have happened and I don't think it's right to jump to conclusions. It doesn't seem like Grabauskas was an especially daring or effective GM for the T over the last 4 years. That said, it seems ridiculous that Patrick and Aloisi felt the need to oust him 9 months before the end of his contract with a $300,000 plus buyout. In general, I think that Patrick brings a lot of good ideas to the table but his political abilities are more than suspect and he ends up angering a lot of people trying to get his way. I was in favor of his proposals to put tolls on 93 and raise the gas tax to help the T get out of its financial mess. It was good to see transportation reform get passed but I worry about the independence and prevalence of the T being upheld as part of a government office that includes roads and bridges. It seems like there is limitless political capital to protect cheap roads but almost none to implement a fully forward thinking comprehensive regional transit plan that places a premium on improved air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved mobility for all citizens.

This being said, it was one of my biggest fears that a large (20%) fare hike would be rushed through that would dramatically reduce people's ability or interest in riding public transit to get where they need to go. Unless the costs are kept on par or below driving costs, it's going to be hard to get the majority of residents out of their cars. The fare increase would have pushed my monthly pass to $254 from the current $223. That is a significant amount and I could save a lot of money by driving to and from work every day alone. I would probably still ride the train, but can we say that's true for most people? Clearly there are no easy choices and a lot of the MBTA system is underutilized and expensive to maintain, but can't we do more to improve access and affordability as a long term solution to our region's transit needs rather than quickly raising fares? I think there are a number of strategies that could further strengthen the public transit culture in Massachusetts and make it easier for residents to get around sustainably.