Commuters flocking to the MBTA as gas prices soar

June 3, 2008 01:25 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Commuters continued flocking to the MBTA at a record-setting pace in April, confirming the move from cars to public transportation as average gasoline prices jump to near $4 per gallon in Boston.

"Why burn that gas?" asked Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, announcing the figures at a news conference today.

Rides on the MBTA were up to an average of 1,337,000 trips per weekday in April, a 5.5 percent increase above the previous year. That average includes trips on the busy subway, trolley, and bus systems, as well as commuter rail, commuter boat and services for disabled riders.

Combined, the first four months of the year showed a 6.1 percent increase in ridership over the same period last year. The trend mirrors a national uptick in public transportation ridership, which is reaching popularity not seen in 50 years as gasoline prices soar.

Grabauskas said the T will have "a difficult time during peak periods" accomodating all the passengers because of limits on the number of buses, subway cars, and trolley cars owned by the financially struggling system. But he is hoping many of those who shift will be new riders who use the T for midday and weekend trips, when the system has more capacity.

"We want to keep these riders," said state Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen. "It's not good for the region if people try the T and then go back to their cars."

Marie Toloczko, a 61-year-old Rockland resident, is just the type of rider Cohen and Grabauskas is trying to attract. She was taking the Red Line back to Braintree after jury duty today, where her husband planned to pick her up.

"When he suggested driving me all the way in, I said that's ridiculous, not with the price of gas," Toloczko said.

Transportation officials also unveiled a new $4 million set of digital jumbo boards that tell commuter rail and Amtrak passengers when their trains are coming in and out. Though the boards are digital, they make a nostalgic "click, click" sound as the gate and time announcements are updated. The boards are in South Station, North Station and Back Bay. The T has also installed smaller digital screens on the tracks at all three stations.

The boards took a full two years to develop and install. Rich Davey, deputy general manager for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company, said the lengthy process was due to the boards' complexity and the time it took to include Amtrak in the system.

The MBTA also announced that buses, trains, and subway lines out of North Station would hold 15 minutes after the Celtics games end following home games during the championship series.