fares

No surprise: People don't want massive MBTA service cuts, fare hikes

adamg — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:36:15 +0000

Wicked Local Newton reports on the first MBTA meeting with riders. The Globe was there as well.

'No sir, it is not a thing a sane man would do'

adamg — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:34:22 +0000

The Outraged Liberal notes the MBTA has announced its Doomsday Machine (again). Will the legislature blink?

Davey says that bailout is unlikely in the state's current climate, which can mean only one thing: change the climate with a proposal that is so awful lawmakers will have to cave.

It's a scenario more reliable than the bus and subway schedules that stand to be blown up.

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

adamg — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:18:17 +0000

A squadron of state representatives are telling MBTA officials this afternoon that the idea of fare increases or service cuts this year is simply unacceptable because the legislature approved the $160 million T officials initially said was enough to keep the T operating this year.

Meanwhile, Dan Grabauskas told the Globe today he was fired because Deval Patrick needed a scapegoat in the fare debate, because he told Patrick minions weeks ago no fare increase was needed.

New T management: No fare increases or service cuts on Jan. 1

adamg — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:16:14 +0000

One of the first steps of the new regime at the MBTA is to table proposed fare increases originally scheduled for Jan. 1, to give a new outside panel enough time for a "top to bottom" review of T finances, spokesman Colin Durrant said this morning.

However, the T is going ahead with public meetings on possible fare hikes and service cuts. The first is scheduled for this Monday, 4-7 p.m. in the Gardner Auditorium in the State House. T officials have portrayed the "workshops" as a way for the public to help decide between either a 19.4% average fare hike or massive service cuts to help make up anticipated deficits over the next three years.

In the past, Secretary of Transportation James Aloisi - who helped maneuver T General Manager Dan Grabauskas out of his job last night - has said he would chose fare increases over service cuts because T services, once cut, tend not to come back.

Gov. Patrick is expected to name a three-member commission to look into T operations either today or Monday.

Undercover T cops busting fare evaders

adamg — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:25:20 +0000

Carl Stevens of WBZ rides along with some undercover T cops on the Green Line, including one who probably needs to grow a mustache now or something:

Twitter as a tool against an MBTA fare hike

adamg — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:05:06 +0000

George O'Brien would be amazed: Fight the fare increase by twittering fare evaders to help convince the MBTA to go after fare evaders before raising fares.

That's the idea behind Ride Fare, which somebody is setting up to let MBTA riders ~~whip out their six guns and apply some T justice~~ compile stats on just how much revenue the T is losing through fare jumping. See somebody, say something @ridefare (Web site coming).

Free ride on the Franklin Line

adamg — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:14:04 +0000

Sure, his train this morning was 40 minutes late into South Station. But, Steve Sherlock reports, at least the conductor announced over the PA:

You can put your tickets and passes away. I am not going to get around to checking them today. Don't leave them behind.

Does Channel 5 know about this?

It's not news until a TV station reports it

adamg — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:25:55 +0000

Channel 5 reports the shocking news (to them, anyway) that Green Line and bus drivers often wave passengers on without bothering to see if they have passes or money. It was, at least, good to see Dan Grabauskas acknowledge that fare collection is, indeed, a priority at the T. Again.

Assuaging his T guilt

adamg — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:49:43 +0000

Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA passes along a letter to the T from Daniel Verinder of Jamaica Plain:

Recently, I was preparing to enter the gates at the southbound T station at Kendall when a passenger said to me, "I'm going to go through with you," meaning that they were going to enter for free on my pass. Without thinking about it, I said, "OK." But as I entered the train car, I started thinking about how unreasonable this action was. I am a big fan of public transit, including the MBTA, and I did not like the though that I had cost the MBTA money. ... Regardless of the fare-evader's economic situation, the MBTA should not be the one to suffer for their lack of funding.

So Verinder bought a CharlieTicket and sent it back to the T and made a donation to Alternatives for Community and Environment. And next time, he says, he'll pay for a CharlieTicket for somebody who wants to get in with him for free.

Protest for a lower youth fare on the T

adamg — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:29:17 +0000

Kids, don't bother talking to Pahkcah02. She thinks T fares should go up.

Go, Dan, go!

adamg — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:16:33 +0000

Suddenly, Dan Grabauskas is everywhere - and not just on PA systems 'neath the streets of Boston. Today, the daring T general manager vows to go after subway fare evaders. Sure, it's roughly two years after legitimate riders first started complaining about how easy the new fare system made evasion, but better late than never. Maybe next year, he'll even figure out that people evade fares on the trolleys, too.

So, how much and how soon for another round of MBTA fare hikes?

adamg — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:07:01 +0000

Mike Mennonno sees the sudden honesty about operating expenses at the T as mere groundwork laying for new fare hikes next year, now that Gov. Patrick and the legislature have made it clear they won't do anything about the T's crippling debt:

... The only question is whether it'll be thirty-five or forty percent. How does $2.30 for a single subway trip with a charlie card sound? $2.80 with a paper ticket? And bus fare of $1.75 with a card, $2.10 with cash? $79 for a monthly pass.

I'm starting a pool. Get your guesstimates in now.

We're the T: We don't care

adamg — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:09:27 +0000

Hondo reports on a fun little incident yesterday morning at Haymarket: A guy scoots through a CharlieGate without paying, under the watchful eye of a T employee, who refuses to call T police even when a paying customer asks him to:

... The other passenger basically lit into the T employee. All he had to do was call it in. But he openly said that he didn't care. ...

The latest trend in mass transit: Eliminating fares

Arborway — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 15:19:27 +0000

A growing number of cities in the U.S. and elsewhere are making their mass transit systems free to use.

The argument goes that you can't build your way out of gridlock. Either you simply run out of room to build new roads, or by building new roads you increase the number of private cars in a small area, and end up with worse gridlock than you had before spending a few billion dollars.

Fare increases reduce revenue:

T fares to just keep going up?

adamg — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:12:26 +0000

Without any reform to do something about its debt payments (which now cost more than the system takes in via fares), the answer is yes, John Daley writes.