Hundreds protest fare hikes, service cuts proposed by MBTA

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

More than 400 public transit riders blasted the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s proposed rate hikes and service cuts tonight in Boston, insisting that the measures would harm the poor, the elderly and disabled, and students.

“How much do you expect the poor to pay?” said Jane D’Angelo, 47, during a public hearing hosted by the MBTA on the proposed changes at the Boston Public Library’s main branch in Copley Square.

She was one of dozens of T riders who stepped up to the microphones to blast the proposal, drawing applause and shouts of approval from a crowd that filled a library auditorium and spilled into the lobby.

Under terms of the proposal, the T would raise subway fares by up to 70 cents and dramatically cut bus routes, eliminate ferries, and end weekend commuter rail trains. The plan was unveiled last month to help erase a projected $161 million deficit for the fiscal year beginning in July.

MBTA officials have stressed that details could change after a string of public hearings scheduled between now and mid-March.

But that was small comfort to many in attendance tonight, who broke into loud chants before the public comment period, including “Stand Up, Fight Back.”

“[The proposal] means that I won’t be able to visit my father on Saturdays and Sundays,” said John Robinson, 63, of Somerville, at a rally outside the library before the meeting.

Robinson, who does not drive because he is vision-imparied, said losing weekend service on the commuter rail would make it impossible to visit his father at his assisted living facility in West Concord.

“That’s cruel,” he said.

Denysha Jackson, 18, of Roslindale, a student at Fenway High School, said during the rally that she relies on the subway to get to class like many other students, and the proposed fare hikes would hurt.

“I take the train every day, everywhere,” she said.

During the hearing, many attendees heckled Mark Boyle, assistant general manager for development at the MBTA, and booed loudly as he laid out the grim financial picture facing the agency.

The antics drew condemnation from Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who testified against the proposed changes but first told the protesters, “you want to make noise, go outside.”

He then launched into prepared remarks, claiming the changes would harm the state’s most vulnerable residents and stifle economic growth.

“For many people, the T isn’t their first or second transportation choice -- it’s their only choice,” he said.

While some in attendance told MBTA officials they would be willing to pay slightly higher fares to stave off service cuts, many argued that the overall funding structure of the agency has to change.

“Relying on the sales tax is not a reliable way to fund the T,” said Diane Simpson, 57, of Jamaica Plain.

The MBTA is funded primarily by revenue from the state sales tax and rider fares, state Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey said in a phone interview during the hearing.

Other revenue sources include advertising, leasing arrangements from MBTA real estate holdings, and federal grants, he said, adding that the passion from riders was heartening to see tonight.

“Our customers care, they’re passionate,” Davey said. “And I think they have a good understanding of what the real challenge is, which isn’t an annual [MBTA] management crisis, it’s really a crisis of the debt.”

The MBTA has about $5.5 billion in outstanding princicpal on its debt, with approximately $1.7 billion from costs associated with the Big Dig, Davey said. He said long-term ideas for generating more revenue for the T could include a direct appropriation from the Legislature.

He also said a roughly $20 million surplus in the state’s snow removal budget could be transfererd to the MBTA if the weather holds off over the next several weeks.

The MBTA Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on the proposed fare hikes and service cuts in April.