Thursday, 4:30 PM
T announces proposed fare increases
By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff
Subway, bus, and commuter rail fares would rise sharply under a sweeping overhaul proposed today by the MBTA.
Starting in January, subway and trolley fares would increase from $1.25 to $1.70, bus fares would go from 90 cents to $1.25, and most commuter rail passes would cost 22 percent more.
Riders who don't use new automated fare CharlieCards would pay even higher per-ride fares under the plan, as much as an 80 percent increase. The new fare system would also end the free ride for outbound passengers at Green Line surface stations, officials said today.
The increases would take effect in January, after a series of public workshops and hearings that start May 15 and after the MBTA board votes in November or December. MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskascq said the proposed increases could be modified if there's enough public outcry.
"We tried to give everybody a smorgasbord of options and they can help us choose," Grabauskas said today. "Nobody likes to increase fares. Nobody."
In the last fare hike, in January 2004, bus fares rose from 75 to 90 cents and subway fares jumped from $1 to $1.25.
The proposed fare increases would bring the T in line with several of the nation's other largest transit agencies. The fare hikes are projected to bring in $70 million more a year, enough for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to balance its budget as it contends with $8.1 billion in debt, deteriorating infrastructure, and declining state sales tax revenues that help fund the agency.
Some daily riders, however, could end up paying less than they do now because there will be free transfers systemwide and the cost of a monthly rail-bus pass would drop by about $17. The T also plans to do away with Red Line exit fares at stations in Quincy and Braintree.
The changes also will not go into effect until automated fare collection and CharlieCards are available across the entire T system. That is scheduled to happen by year's end.
The T, the nation's fourth largest public transit system, averages 1.1 million passenger boardings each workday on a network of subway and commuter rail trains, trolleys, buses, and ferries that extends across the Boston region.
