The Globe reports on comments Deval Patrick made this morning on WTKK.

That Dan Grabauskas has to go, the Outraged Liberal explains.

Looks like the extra revenue from the increase in the sales tax won't cut it for T officials, who have scheduled hearings on possible fare hikes of nearly 20%. Basic CharlieCard fares would go from $1.70 to $2.00, while bus fares would rise from $1.25 to $1.50. Commuter-rail riders would also see increases.

Without the increases, the T says it will have to cut service, including a reduction in bus service of 50% after 8 p.m. and on weekends, elimination of all weekend Mattapan line service, elimination of several "redundant" Green Line stops and the entire E line past Brigham Circle, reducing all midday and post-8 p.m. subway service by 50% and cancellation of all ferry service. Also: the last commuter rail trains out of Boston would leave by 7 p.m. and there would be no weekend service at all on commuter lines.

The first "workshop" on the T budget is Aug. 10 at 4 p.m. at the State House, followed by meetings on Aug. 11 in Revere, Aug. 12 in Braintree, and Aug. 13 in Somerville. The last three sessions all start at 5:30 p.m., which, of course, gives many working people little time to get to them.

More details from the MBTA (PDF document).

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.

Beyond Red & Blue summarizes data from the American Public Transportation Association on public-transit usage for the first half of 2007: Nationally, ridership was up, but down in Boston (subway ridership was down 8%; the sharpest decline in the country; bus and trolley ridership was down less dramatically; commuter-rail use was actually up a bit). Hmm, what happened in the first six months of this year that could explain that?.

See the APTA data for yourself.

Casey Ross has the details on proposals to raise $20 billion over the next 20 years just to keep our existing roads, bridges, tunnels and public transit systems from falling apart even more. How about 5-cent/mile tolls on I-93, I-95, I-495, to start?

The T Riders Union set up a few polls over on our site on how riders feel about the fare hikes.

We're going to collect the results of how riders feel and present them to the MBTA, so head on over and feel free to leave comments as well: http://www.ace-ej.org

Anali explains why the increase in T fares means she'll be driving to work all the time come Jan. 2.

Michael Burstein bids the T token adieu:

... I will miss the token. I grew up in New York City, not in Boston, but I remember the look and feel of the various subway tokens that the MTA issued as I was growing up. I loved looking at older tokens, ones that were no longer usable, as it was like looking at a piece of history. Somewhere, I've kept a collection of older tokens, both from New York City and Boston, and it saddens me to think that we'll no longer see new designs. ...

Plus, he adds: Tokens just work - e-cards sometimes don't.

Meanwhile, the Transport Avenger is pleasantly shocked to discover CharlieCards actually work well:

... It's great to just tap the card on the sensor. Getting on a bus takes a second, and the gates on the subway open with no delay. ...

Token ed. note: If only my laptop weren't awaiting a new brain, I could try to make a token flag flying at half mast for the top of Universal Hub.

Train Mon makes the mistake of trying to figure out the new commuter-rail fare structure and why the Zone 1A Pass makes more sense than the LinkPass.