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How would you fill the MBTA's budget hole?

So you think you can budget? Click on the revenue or expense arrows, then on the bottom line and get a sorta spreadsheet that lets you play with detailed views of the T's budget.

Via Nathan Spencer.

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Comments

I'm all for providing the MBTA with additional sources of revenue (gas tax) but the calculator in the link doesn't allow you to adjust any of the MBTA's expenses like, say, salaries and benefits and pension costs. I don't think anyone can credibly say that there aren't big pools of money to be saved at the T.

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Why can't we just drastically increase the fair. And make the T self sufficient or even turn a profit pay off debt. I see no reason for people in Springfield or Florida or wherever to be paying any part of a service that they never use. Generating a huge surplus, for a few years and paying off all debt will in future years cut a huge chunk of the budget. Or better yet make it private, use the revenue from the sale to pay down other debt the state has. Then maybe they can cut taxes, or actually have nice roads or do something useful with my money. I take the T every day, and even at double the price its still far cheaper than driving into the city everyday. So by all means please raise my fare, I'll gladly pay for something I actually use versus the rest of my money that I'll never see again.

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1. the T is core infrastructure. Before you embark down the mythical path of "self-sufficiency" for public transit, first tally up how much public money is spent on non-public transit - road maintenance, signage, repairs, police details, snow plowing, and so on. Add it all up before deciding that public transit is somehow different.

There are very good arguments that due to the overall societal savings, public transit should just be free, period...

2. The debt is so high that fares could never, ever, ever pay it down.

3. When fares are increased, ridership decreases, predictably, and consistently, because the alternatives (cars) become more affordable in comparison, and carry other benefits (like, you can keep an extra pair of shoes, an umbrella, and a bunch of crap in the car, the car goes point to point, the car has cargo capacity, the car is always there when you are ready to leave).

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I like this database... the did one like this on the Calif. budget problems.

I agree that platitudes like "reform" and "cutting waste" aren't going to solve the T's problem, so it's good to lay out stark choices. But this database doesn't let you play with ANY of these variables -- wages, healthcare, pensions, supplies, etc. It takes as a given that we will pay . That they have a right to retire at age 45. That their healthcare costs will never increase.

The help section says "Why can't I change all the numbers? ... to focus our attention on what sacrifices we are willing to make." Which is to say, we are unwilling to ask the Carmen's Union to make any sacrifices.

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Sorry, I'm not good with the link tool apparently.

I meant to say "the LA Times did one like this on the Calif. budget problems" : http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-statebudget-f...

And "It takes as a given that we will pay 440 MBTA workers over $100k per year." : http://www.bostonherald.com/projects/payroll/mbta/...

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I'm with people who wanted to change salary, etc.

Personally, I didn't see the "nuke it all and let the state buy it out and start over" option.

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start with a 23% cut in wages - that knocks off $100 million-nice fat round number. Only $60 mil to go!

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Retirement at 45? Insane Health Care Benefits? If those hearsay is correct, I have to start thinking and considering old-fashioned union breaking. Ideally, unions are there to protect workers from becoming overworked and underpaid via unfair actions of the MBTA, however, it seems that it is struggling from the other way around now. There are people with more skills, senority, and/or experience in other field paid far less and they retire at 65!

Massive Healthcare reform with a dramatic raise in the needed before they can retire. With a large pay cut and the age change will help with pension costs. Won't fix the deficit completely, but that is one bleeding ulcer that have to be addressed. I guess they will strike and cry oppression, MBTA needs to get the word out on how much the unions are kicking them around.

(Note: This only holds water if the image of the unions holds true. There's two sides to every story, though it does seems the benefits are too high).

The other options are probably will be similar to any of your ideas...

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Okay, I disagree with the notion that we can save huge amounts by tweaking management salaries and such. Fundamentally, the big costs are operations, so I'm not too bothered that this calculator only allows us to manipulate that portion of expense.

At any rate, here's what I did:

Cut TheRide by 50%
Cut weekday transit (9-4) by 25%
Cut late evening and weekend transit by 15%
Eliminated non-rush commuter boat
15% fare increase
1% sales tax increase
45 cent gas tax increase

Ended with a $145,000 surplus!

Much of the above is pretty unsavory, but I think it avoids doing too much damage to the overall service model and infrastructure. By the way, TheRide, is hugely expensive. Eliminating it entirely would save $59 million.

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Although its expensive and can be changed, there needs to be some sort of regional tranportation for the eldery and the handicapped.

Im willing to pay more so that these groups can get easier transportation.

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That's why I don't eliminate it completely. But since you raise the point, maybe this is the time to consider whether the MBTA is the best option for that service. Senior transit services seem ideally suited to private operators. Why involve the T at all?

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But I think people have the right to public transportion in some form or another. I don't think people should be able to use the ride as their own taxi service, but there needs to be something for people that can't walk on their own to the bus or train stop because of a disability. Especially now that we see all these elderly driving around when they probably shouldnt be. Fixing this system should actually be a priority.

Someone told me the other day that some of the larger train stations (alewife?) costs $6 a day to park? Now that seems unfair to me.

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I guess the follow-up question, is what pays for TheRide? Does it have a dedicated funding stream, or is it paid out of general MBTA revenue? If the latter, than that amounts to a massive distortion of the MBTA's operating results. We know from the budget calculator that TheRide's fairbox recovery is only about 4%. Is the riding public responsible for the rest of it?

Arguably, society does have a responsibility here, but it appears from outside observation that the responsibility is only shouldered by 'T riders. Again, let's get it out of the MBTA, not just for reasons of efficiency but also in order to enable a more accurate accounting of MBTA finances.

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the ride gives out "tickets" that people pay for by the book. I think the people pay for each ticket, and each ticket is a little more expensive than if they actually went to the nearest bus or train stop and used those options.

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I've heard a few guys discuss the Ride and how they basically abuse the system. It serves a good purpose when used properly I'm sure - but these guys can get around fine by themselves - they use it more like a limo service when it's convenient and the system lets this fall through the cracks. Maybe not a huge savings - but if you listen to these guys talk - it can be a bit of a scam.

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I wasn't going to say anything but I think a lot of old ladies abuse the system too, going to nail and hair appointments twice a day.

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And their nails too! Sorry Pete - a couple of years ago sat and listened to one experienced Ride user go on a 20 minute dissertation telling a new user how you could scam the system and qualify for the Ride when you weren't eligible etc. Don't remember all the details just remember sitting there quietly shaking my head wondering where these people come from because I was raised that even if you can get away with it you shouldn't do the things this guy was talking about. This was no little old lady getting her nails done. This was a guy that had all the angles figured - and none of them were right angles.

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The Ride is federally mandated, via the ADA. To legally cut paratransit service to an area (municipality, I believe), you have to cut bus and subway service to that area by about the same amount. So that's not an independent variable in this system. Similarly, fares for The Ride have to track with regular fares, and can't be arbitrarily increased independently.

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Funny and very fitting, this budget tool doesn't seem to allow you to change the first thing I'd like to change: "fringe benefits"

From the site:
"Why can't I change all the numbers?

Two reasons:

In order to make changes to the MBTA's cost of offering service, you will need to know a great deal of detail that make up these line items. That information is currently not available from the MBTA.

The second reason is to focus our attention on what sacrifices we are willing to make. While that might sound quite distasteful, it would be far worse to pretend that wringing out budget inefficiencies would solve the deficit problem and face service cuts or fare increases without hearing from you first.

So this site is soliciting from you a contingency plan, a worse case scenario.

That is why the only numbers you change at present are:

* Increasing fares
* Increasing the gas tax
* Increasing the sales tax
* Decreasing service"

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or expenced anyway for "causulity and liability".

How much is it going to cost to fix the damage from the texting driver? Is that damaged going to be covered under this 15 million?

And the commuter boat brings in 8.5 million in fares compared to 87 million from bus fares? That many people take the boats compared to the buses? Seems like a lot.

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That many people take the boats compared to the buses? Seems like a lot.

Not when you consider that a boat pass costs $200 per month, and individual fares are $7 - $12 one way.

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but I gotta think the bus/boat ratio in terms of people has to be around 500/1 or even 1000/1.

I dont know anything about these boats except for the hingham to boston one.

Maybe canals are the answer!

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This morning at No Station they were handing out fliers that the MBTA is putting together a focus group of commuter rail riders to gather opinions. The T will be paying $60 plus lunch to participants.

I'm not sure that the MBTA needs to pay us for our opinions, given that the T is financially challenged and that we MBTA customers seem quite willing to freely offer our opinions at no charge.

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Didn't I hear recently about a free commuter boat at certain times? Who's footing the bill for that?

Also, what does it cost to have mbta cops swabbing peoples' bags?

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"Also, what does it cost to have mbta cops swabbing peoples' bags?"

Just a Fourth Amendment. :)

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The T Cops security inspections (swabbing the bags) are completely paid for with Dept. of Homeland Security grant money. That includes equipment, wages, and even the random number generating software to prevent accusations of profiling. Please, legitimate complaints only.

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