Today, Occupy Boston held a rally and march against fare hikes and service cuts. T riders came to Copley Square from all over the state – even as far as Worcester using the Commuter Rail. The T Rider from Worcester stated that he depends on the commuter rail to keep his job – as do many of his friends who live in Worcester but work in Boston. He also uses the Commuter Rail to attend sports events and concerts – all of which would evaporate and be lost to the Boston economy if the commuter rail is ended at 10 PM on weekdays, and totally eliminated on weekends.
Another speaker reminded everyone that the Big Dig debt was dumped on the MBTA and is the sole reason for the current deficit. She suggested that Big Dig debt be bailed out or forgiven – or else given back to Beacon Hill where it came from! She said that the whole maneuver that burdened the MBTA with the Big Dig’s debt was sleazy, sneaky and if not illegal bad policy, bad economics, and done in the shadows. Like BMG’s Ryan she suggested that the bogus Film Tax Credit be ended immediately and those funds used to help the T.
Others informed those at the rally that the “real cost” of The Ride was $40.00 a ride, and because buses and the T give more independence, they save the Commonwealth and the Taxpayer from many uses of the Ride. We were all warned by this speaker that the co-pay for “The Ride” was set to go up from $2.00 each way to $4.50 each way and that a friend would have to choose between eating and physical therapy as a result.
The wind was cold. The “PA System” was the human MIC system – used to reinforce and support as it does so well. Each person who spoke had a lot to share.
You, fellow BMGer have knowledge and experience too – how about sharing? We all know that the Big Dig debt resulted from incompetence, cronyism, and cheating the taxpayer – putting that debt on the MBTA is like a wage cut to the whole working class. And the so-called middle class stands on the back and shoulders of the working class. Surely, there must be a better way to clean up the Big Dig and its messy debt?
Love to hear from you all!
…why MBTA got saddled with the Big Dig debt. Shouldn’t that be paid down from the general budget? Wasn’t this a project of the Turnpike Authority? Thus shouldn’t that agency, now MassDOT, take on the debt?
As for the MBTA itself I would submit that INCREASING service might increase revenue. I know that there are times especially on weekends when I opt against using the commuter rail because the timing is not convenient, but if they ran more frequently I’d be more likely to use the service.
What I don’t understand is why Charlie from the MBTA isn’t at every Mitt Romney rally asking for his bailout.
none of which are a complete solution.
1. The state should take the $1.6B in debt back, or at least agree to make those payments. It’s not all of the MBTA’s debt, but it is the portion from the Big Dig.
2. 2.5% fare increase each and every year, rounded to the nearest nickle. Prop two and a half, MBTA style.
3. Gas tax increase. Five cents. Three goes to local transit (MBTA or whatever regional is nearest to the city/town/county/whatev). One cent to local non-motorized transit — bike lanes and paths, multi use paths, better sidewalks with ADA access, etc. One cent to cities and towns for roads.
4. Move The Ride off of the MBTA books. The Ride isn’t mass transit — it’s paratransit. It’s important, and it’s a good service, and it should be kept, but it’s a specialized scheduled taxi service, which has very little to do with mass transit. Why should MBTA riders cross-subsidize it instead of all citizens of the Commonwealth? And on that note, it should be more carefully scrutinized, to ensure that those who need it have it but those who don’t [because their start, end, and intermediate stations are all ADA accessible, for example] should get regular service.
5. More revenue from convenience shops within MBTA property.
6. I don’t know what the current retirement package is, but make it reasonable for new hires. Don’t renege on current contracts, but make the retirement package for new hires appropriate, not like the 23 and out days of yore.
7. Get some capital improvement projects from state and feds to implement traffic signal prioritization (TSP). The idea is that a bus or street car shouldn’t get a red light so that 3 cars carrying 5 passengers between ’em can turn left. How does this help with money? Two ways. By allowing buses and street cars which are behind schedule the opportunity to catch the green, they speed up and stay on schedule. That means less pay for overtime (lowering costs) and it means increased ridership because the T is more reliable (more revenue).
8. Let cities and towns bid on servicing MBTA stations — cleaning, trash removal, snow removal, that sort of thing. I think Dan Winslow suggested this, and it’s a great idea. Won’t save much, but could shave a little from the costs. Of course, oversight is just as important here as it is with a private contractor.
9. MBTA police. Use ’em or lose ’em. By use ’em, I mean start driving around and writing tickets. Stopped halfway through an intersection on the Green Line? Ticket. Standing in a bus stop, even just to let your spouse out of the car? Ticket. Didn’t pay your fare? Ticket. Smoking on a platform? Ticket. Litter on MBTA property or on the train? Ticket. You bring in revenue, cut costs [like cleaning], and improve the quality of service for riders. That, or roll ’em into the State Police and get them off the MBTA books.
10. Parking lots. Charge market rates, different for each lot. Charge enough so that there’s about a 5% vacancy rate, and feel free to charge different rates for different days, different times, etc. Maximize revenue and use of the lot.
11. Develop your land. For example, those parking lots — could they be office buildings? Perhaps a paved surface lot could become two floors of garage parking and an office building, so that there’s still parking for MBTA users and non-fare revenue coming in to help stabilize the T books.
12. Ask cities and towns for more. Not more money, per se. Tell ’em which bus routes are marginal, and then tell the cities and towns what they could do to improve them. Move stops to the other side of the intersection, install a bench, whatever. Cities and towns have lots of influence over the small details on those bus routes, and those small details, when considered carefully, can shave minutes off of the length of the run or allow riders to wait more comfortably. Ask the cities and towns to take some ownership for making the experience better for their residents and guests.
13. Film Tax Credit, as per RyePower. A great idea.
14. The MBTA is the single largest electricity consumer in the Commonwealth. The MWRA has used federal grants to fund lots of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Heck, the MWRA has solar photovoltaic, wind, hydro, and biogas renewable generation facilities. The MBTA needs to get the state and feds to fund renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for the T — help cut into that massively large electric bill.
There’s 14 items. None are perfect, none are easy, and no one of ’em will solve the long term problems.
I remain convinced that if Beacon Hill demonstrated the same commitment to public transportation as it did for highways when it found ninety three million dollars literally overnight to fund and execute the “fast 14” highway program, this problem would be solved.
Each of these 14 suggestions should be looked at in that context.
No way are fare hikes and service cuts good for the economy or the residents of this state.
A few of the suggestions in this thread, if taken, would make either cuts or hikes unneeded. Keep it up, BMGers!