Say so in a letter to Aloisi, the Globe reports.

On "Greater Boston" last night, MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas was discussing the need for fare increases when Emily Rooney asked him about criticism from state Transportation Secretary James Aloisi for not being available last week when the feds released a critical report on that fatal Green Line crash. You may recall that Aloisi said he couldn't reach Grabauskas.

Grabauskas said he was on a forced, unpaid five-day furlough. But he said Aloisi knew how to reach him:

What he said was not true. ... He didn't try to get in touch with me. It's a lie.

Grabauskas's entire interview with Rooney.

On "unpaid furlough," apparently. Which the Herald reports isn't sitting well with state Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, what with the feds blasting the MBTA this week for the conditions they say led to last year's fatal Green Line crash.

He tells the Globe, though, that he's reachable on his vacation, but told the Globe it's none of its business where he is.

He'll be on WBUR's Radio Boston live at 1 p.m. today, to talk about T finances (at work? You can listen online).

So, is Dan Grabauskas really leaving the T in January? Amy Derjue, crack reporter/blogger over at Boston Magazine, exchanges e-mail with the T's Joe Pesaturo and asks him about the rumor. He sort of answers the question.

Only a rumor; tell me if wrong.

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.

It's true! Also, things aren't going quite as swimmingly at the MBTA as he might like.

And Globe photo caption writers need to bone up on Boston geography (see comments below).

Patrick jawbones Grabauskas.

Train Rider muses:

I must say - the media loves MBTA GM Dan Grabauskas. I just don't get the love affair? Why are they so hard on other elected officials and public leaders, but they just give Dan softballs everytime?

As a recovering reporter, I think the answer's actually fairly simple: Grabauskas gives reporters and editors what they crave: Access - or, at least, the appearance of access. Imagine how the current "We're going to die!" fare-increase story would have played out if, oh, a Globe reporter had ferreted out the possibility of massive increases in some obscure document related to the Green Line expansion project (maybe in some appendix on financing the work). There'd be outrage, outrage! Instead, Grabauskas simply arranged a series of interviews with local media types and got in front of the story. It's good media management.