Transit chief warns of possible MBTA fare hikes, service cuts

How could you say the MBTA saved money through reforms, and efficiencieces with an excessive union pension system, health care, and 401k non-employee contribution programs? One of the highest public fringe benefit entitlement progams in the nation.

what else is new...welcome to Massachusetts

Absolutely Pathetic! When are these people going to understand that we can not afford any more increases! Perhaps these people should be looking at internal reform, internal pay cuts, dissolving union contracts, etc rather than forcing us to pay for their mismanagement! Not to mention that Deval will probably support a fare hike since that would force more people back in their cars and therefore increase revenues for that proposed 29 cent gas tax. Its time for a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE! IMPEACHMENT IS IN ORDER!

Ridership is way up, the people in charge of the MBTA's IQ and business sense is way down. Just another way to make us pay for people's mistakes, who have been raking in the dough since the big dig started. Hand outs, agreements behind the scenes and embezzling have been rampant, now its time for the people of ma to foot the bill again...

Let's be really honest!! The consumer need to bail you out of debt by paying more money for less service. Did I get that right? What happens to consumer in all of this mess. We are being squeezed in every corner to bail incompetent people out. Something is wrong with this picture.

We are getting fired, less services, bad mortgages, but still digging deep in our pockets. I give up!

Here's a thought - maybe if they collected fares on the commuter rail, they'd get some of that money they need! In the past 2 weeks, there have been at least 6 times when the train was so full that conductors didnt collect passes on the Lowell line. Use your heads people - get more cars on the busy lines that need them and collect the fares you so desperately need! You've already doubled the price of parking at the CR, a fare increase WILL result in a loss of customers!!!

No problem, raise the tolls, raise the Gas price now raise the MBTA price as well. Then have my boss fire me and give me the $400 from Obama to pay for the MBTA price increase.

Marvelous. I'm 30 miles from my job. It'll be cheaper to drive to work and pack in Boston if they keep jacking up the fares.

at a time when more and more people are taking public transportation i think its a disgrace that they want to increase fares and cut back on service.

“The MBTA’s $5 billion debt leaves the agency ill-prepared to maintain a safe, reliable, and efficient transit system.” How the hell do you let that happen. Idiots running the thing.

is Aloisi gonna give us a ride to and from work? or should we all just quit now before we lose our jobs due to the fact we can't get to them?

Being an "trolley jolly" & had worked for the T quite a while ago (non-union), I had spoke of nothing but praise of our transit system until of recent. The new fare collection system is nuts, the new "low floor" buses-seating, stairs in a moving vehicle, the trolley's (new)-again seating/stairs. The Type 6 trolley having more seating as well as the old RTS buses And the Red Line having "standing only" cars. It seems that this may be the trend in transit travel-removing seats in all vehicles seeing that the recent vehicles have less seating. Could go on but why bother..

I have been riding MBTA buses and subways for over 30 years. Never have I seen service so poor. They should be ashamed to even consider fare increases in light of the current economic situation AND in light of their poor service

Thank goodness my job is only a 13 minute walk away. And for everywhere else, I have my bicycle. My husband and i often ride out on the bike trails out to the wildlife preserve in Concord. The peace and the beauty of nature really remind you that you don't need to take a train every time to get to where you need to be. I think the T will lose even more ridership over this, causing them to lose more money. This will get people back into their vehicles, filling them w/ gas, and then we'll be back where we started with higher gas prices.

The T needs to declare bankruptcy. Raising fares will only make matters worse as it will drive potential and current passengers away. I can't believe they have any passengers at all now considering parking is $4+ a day at the commuter rail stations. It's such a rip-off. There is no possible way for the T to generate enough revenue to pay-off their debt, maintain the fleet, and add new services that passengers are demanding. Something has to give. The state's first priority should be to provide reliable public transportation that meets the growing needs of the commuting taxpayers, not paying entitlements to over-compensated workers. No private sector employee gets anywhere near the amount of benefits as state workers. Things need to get balanced out for the good of all and not just a few. Bury the MBTA and let's start fresh with a plan that will create a great public transportation system that is efficient, reliable, and works for the people. If they can manage that, I'll pay a higher gas tax because it will be worth it.

Let's look at empty busses and bus routes and spread the timing out of trips. On any given morning there are 3 busses all on Warren Ave, making the same stops headed to Dudley. The busses are not full. Let's looks at bus utilization overall. How many 3/4 empty busses does one see on any route during the "off peak" hours but they still run every 10 minutes. Must be easy to determine now with automated ticket takers. Also, the fact that there are 3 commuter rails that come into Hyde Park yet you had to add a stop on the morning Franklin train to stop at the HP station so now there is a pick up there every ten mins between 6:20 and 6:50! For what 2 people?

Maybe, just maybe if all these T people I see just standing there drinking coffee, talking to one another, were made to do some actual "work", the T may not have to employee so many people and this would help with the debt they they have found themselves in.
But oh no, we can't do that, can we?

How about they scrap the whole sorry system & start from scratch. The T is a disaster in every way.

Gotta love anyone operating in the public sector don't you? Let's raise fees and cut service. There's a winning formula. How do you think that'd fly in the private sector. Imagine for a second walking into a sub shop and ordering a large Steak n Cheese only to get a 6 inch sub that used to be 9 inches and the price has gone from $5.00 to $7.50. How likey would you be to buy it? Or better yet, how likely would it be that the shop owner would implement such a moronic strategy.

save millions more by pursuing additional reforms and "bringing the MBTA's out-of-scale pensions and healthcare coverage in line with other state workers."

Didn't he say it all right there? Stop full pay retirement at age 40. Go ahead and raise rates. People will stop riding and you'll make less.

I am fairly new to metro Boston from the SFO Bay area, and know that MUNI and BART services are also in crisis. But that transportation network is far superior to ours here, with more service to more places. So how does the T expand and improve service (to attract me as a customer) if it spends so much money on its debt service? I am lucky - my company provides me with a parking space, but my support staff depends on the T, while I use it rarely. I would rather pay more for driving and not stick it to those who don't have any other choice,

It's sad and a shame that EVERYTHING in this state has gone up since Deval Patrick took office. The MBTA may be a seperate agency but the fares have gotten way out of control. I've taken the T my whole life but it's not worth it anymore being that it's cheaper to find parking in Boston than it is to get on the MBTA. Ridership may have gone up but many of these folks from out of state don't know any better.

Fantastic. $5 billion debt, so the best course of action is to venture into the project of extending the green line. Yeah yeah yeah, I know it'll reach more customers, hence generating more revenue. But we all know how construction jobs playout, overdue and over budget. Once again, it is the average every consumer that is forced to pay for mismanagement.

Here's an idea: Stop paying trainmen and inspectors $200K. Does that help?

Just what we need an increase in our fares, as people have even less disposible income because Deval is going to TAX everything he can possibly think of.

Higher prices for less service?

Sounds like some classic MBTA management, now let's watch all those ridership gains from $4 gas dwindle when none of those new riders can get where they need to be.

So...you have more riders than ever and you plan to CUT SERVICE IN HALF?!?!? How can these guys sleep at night? The T is already one of the worst public transportation systems in the country, and they've just announced they're going to make it worse. It honestly just gives me one more reason to leave this godforsaken city once and for all.

So, the people who work nights and weekends will be the ones socked hardest with scheduling cuts. Children will get to bed later; parents will return home from their jobs later; more money will be spent to pay the babysitter extra hours.

The proposed rescheduling will hurt single parents most of all. They'll each take 24 more jobs on top of the 3 or 4 they have, and never see their families. I guarantee you that schedule changes will hurt them more than fare increases - and thus hurt the T, because those riders will purchase cars. Not everyone works M-F, 9-5. For shame, Mr. Aloisi.

The level of service on the Red Line has been plummeting for many months. There are disabled trains almost every day now. The service is so bad that the Red Line is no longer a reliable way to get to work. Asking commuters to pay more for the current level of service is an insult. If it was shut down completely its predictability would be markedly improved.

Gee, did someone forget to list the nine communities that would lose The Ride service. It is a great way for seniors and other challenged individuals to get to necessary appointments. The MBTA, the Turnpike Authority and the Governor need to stop making these veiled threats/comments and give the residents what is needed: hard facts that can, then, be debated as to their merits.

“Now is the time to be honest about the crisis facing our public transportation system” - are you kidding me!?!? Has he been hiding under a rock for the past few years?? The only reason the 'T' needs to be honest now is because it has become painfully obvious that the public knows [and is angered by] just how poorly the agency has been run for so many years.

MBTA is so poorly run! No wonder you are facing budget cuts, the workers make too much money! You have 15% making over $100k?!?!?

Even if we bailed the MBTA out totally so that starting tomorrow they had no more debt how long do you think it would take these fat cat idiots to be back in debt by billions. These fools could not run a one car taxi service at a profit.

Is this the follow up to the story that T- Ridership is UP about 2 weeks ago?
I could have written this story........THEN!

Why doesn't the MBTA submit an application to the Federal Government for some of that bail-out money? Surely this was the scenario it was intended for--to help a struggling business. The T can't continue to raise fares, or they will simply lose more passengers, and their revenues will quickly fall into a downward spiral.

Awesome. The future looks bright for the MBTA. The quality of service on the T is seriously low now; I'm thrilled about the possibility of paying more for inconsistent service, grouchy employees, and unending construction.

What else is new!

STOP THE MADNESS!! Get yourself straight MBTA and quit going into my pockets every year!!

This is a joke right? You want people to pay *more* for the T? So let me understand this correctly, service is getting worse and worse by the minute and that justifies a far hike?

Apparently Aloisi, Patrick, and Grabauskas dont take the T. Anyone who does can clearly point out about 100 things the T could do more efficiently on every ride. Let's see...just this week...

First I had the survey taker (who probably gets paid$40+/hr) that sat on my bus handing out surveys and golf pencils. The survey was not completed by anyone other than me, and only asked about 10 (out of about 30) on what my perception of the T is. Last time I checked you dont need someone to hand out papers...just put them in an obvious spot.

Then there were the 3 times I waited for 40 min each at the Harvard station for the 66 bus. But this is nothing new. In the time I see four #1 buses pass (during rush hour), I see two 66 buses that are on break and its only the third that even attempts to pick up passengers. Dont forget that now the 66 buses will play leapfrog between stops.

This is all on top of a disabled train at JFK and a track problem at Harvard and a signal problem at Kendall. AND, we're not even 4 days into the week now.

So you tell me...this is an efficient system? The New York subway has 658 miles of revenue yielding track. And it works...and now you want me to pay more for this ridiculous system? HAH.

Just privatize the thing. Itll be profitable in 5 years.

p.s. I plan on starting a lovely mbta blog. yes, to account for all the normal user experiences. will anything change though? probably not.

Having been a T rider for over 20 years, I must express my disappointment and disgust on even the thought of higher prices and less service. The "Green Solution" of the T does require improvements. Use the subsidies! The comuter rail parking recently doubled, and forces those not paying town fees to arrive before 7:00 AM. just to get this high priced ride. We will not put up continuing higher prices, sporadic schedules, less service and safety issues.

Stand by for the T to get bailed out by the federal stimulus spending. The money is supposed to be used to create jobs, not continue a failed, corrupt, hack-ridden Authority.

So far, the legislature hasn't had the scroat to cut a check. The federal dollars may be seen as a way out.

"Aloisi painted a dire picture of the possible future of the MBTA that included 20 percent to 25 percent increases in fares, a 50 percent cut in evening and weekend subway and commuter rail service, elimination of some routes, and elimination of the RIDE van service to nine communities. "

A true member of The Brotherhood, Aloisi never once seemed to utter the unthinkable: layoffs of various seat-warmers in the T's top-heavy management structure and pay cuts for those remaining. He knows that the cash is coming, and now is the time to ratchet up the excuses for what will come.

At the T the trains and buses will be late, but the paychecks will always arrive on time.

How about they freeze payhikes?

Are you kidding me?? You are going to charge more and cut service? Service is already a joke on weekends and at night. Make our lives even more difficult why don't you. How about you cut the salaries of the 400+ people who made 6 figures last year? God knows they don't deserve that kind of salary.

Yeah! Fewer trains and higher fares! That's brilliant. Everybody who was stuck with me in Park Street for an hour last night with the other million people waiting knows what I am talking about. It's brutal every day already, and Red Sox season is coming. It's almost like Aloisi is saying, "We have a historic opportunity. We have more riders than ever before. We need to reduce the number of people riding the MBTA and then it won't matter so much that our bloated payroll is sucking us dry."
What was the benefit of switching to Charlie Cards again? Oh yeah thats so you have my money ahead of time, so at times like last night when I got sick of waiting and left Park Street and walked the 4 miles or however long it is to Coolidge Corner Brookline, you keep my 1.70 and there's no way to return it.
Enjoy that 1.70 because I am getting really tired of being packed into the green line in exactly the same fashion that I recall being driven to the rifle range in Basic Training, 75 people in a vehicle with a max occupancy of 75. It's really not pleasant and there are other ways to get to work.
A company like the MBTA would not last a week if it were not protected by the status of being semi-government. If there were competition or real accountability, they would be forced to address the issues their glaring issues. But since they are the only game in town, they can continue to royally suck, and the prices can actually increase. This is exactly the kind of situation capitalism is designed to avoid.

I have a suggestion on how you can service your debt - cut jobs, take a pay cut, cut pension and paid time off benefits, and reduce healthcare benefits as many of us in the private sector have to go through. Otherwise, cut services as we're fed up with you holding us hostage to your incompetence. Governor Patrick, No you Can't. You've done nothing but raise taxes and fees since you started. I'm voting for Kerry Healey next time. Your performance has been a disgrace

What an embarrassing situation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Privatize it and let someone willing to take risks run it. Start with a new contract for the employees too. If they don't like it they can look for new jobs. The State has no risk and nothing to lose. That is why we are in this mess.

Solution,

Declare bankruptcy and shed yourself of union pension, retirement and salary contracts. In fact, dissolve the union, it is an antiquated system that is bankrupting Boston. Come out of bankruptcy a leaner and meaner service.

Done

They shouldn't spend money on research for things like "Big Red" in which no one wants to ride anyway. Reduce T workers at T stops and be on time. We're sick of it ...and after parking fees, increasing T pass costs and unreliable trains which usually have "delays", I'm ready to move within walking distance of my work and stick it to the man.

How much of the debt was due to the new green line trains (designed by Pininfarina --the company which designs Ferarri) which after years still cause passengers to across the width or length of the trains when the brakes are even gently applied???

As much as I agree with people that the Union here is what's causing a lot of the issues, it's not such an easy thing to fix. I work at a union job now (not by choice and please don't criticize me for being against my union, it's my personal view). When a group of people have a legal contract it's not really possible to do any changes, except if the company goes bankrupt. So let the T go bankrupt and then they can dissolve the contract. Government and riders are scared to let this happen, but it's the only way the T can get any leverage to make the changes they need of their employees. Everyone is taking cuts in pay and benifits, it's time for the T to give it's share and stop passing it on to the customer.

Everyone who can afford to should take a couple of vacation days in protest. The $4 parking lots are practically empty, as most people either drive in or park in private lots, and commuters pay $100 + a month to balance the books at the T. How much longer can fare increases and parking increases continue? Ar some point very soon the T will have a record low in commuter rail ridership. Let' not even discuss the commuter rail extension, which the T cannot even produce ridership estimates!

The suburban commuter cannot continue to pay for the entire failure of the MBTA.

Fare increase(s) are the only solution.
Citizens can carp about management, etc etc
How many have actually been to 10 Park Plaza or the state house to voice opinion?
Oh you the typist here just got off looking for a bimbo on Facebook or other, settled in your comfy chair, ready to rule the world from a keyboard......
Hike the fares, reduce bus routes that operate with few people, streamline the system, weed these vendors out off MBTA property once and for all, eliminate so-called "musicians" who play prerecorded music and in general, eliminate with arrest anyone who sings, talks loud or has a cup out for "donations."
Hike the fares and run a smooth system like the DC Metro, clean, employees who wear shirts tucked in, offer advice and aren't laying back behind smoked glass like at Park Street, doing nothing, amounting to nothing.....
Hike the fares and give us a transit system.

Here's a thought..... why not fix all the fare boxes on buses!! I was on a bus last night and everyone got a free ride since the fare box was broken. God love the T..... finding new and creative ways to lose money and hose the customer for their incompetence. Oh, and what about cutting those 6 figure salaries for so many bureaucrats?

If you're whining about the MBTA in these comments but then supporting the Obama/dems in their bid for a 700+ billion bailout in your other comments, you should really think twice. All that money is going to come from somewhere and that somewhere is YOU AND ME.

I'm from a third world country and the transportation system is better than the one here in Mass and cheaper too.

Aliosi is setting up public relations for a smooth take of that Stimulus cash coming soon from Washington.

Remarkably good sense - fear of public backlash - or lack of cash has kept the state legislature from writing a blank check to the T.

Allegedly the federal dollars are to create new jobs, not assure that the T's hack-infested seat warmers won't miss a paycheck. That said, just watch what happens.

I myself will discontinue using the MBTA ...it will be cheaper to drive into Boston and park in an overpriced garage.

Eliminate pensions and move people to 401k same as the rest of us. Also the medical benefits for retirees is not sustainable anymore, have them contribute to premium and also make co-pays.
Reduce inspectors on trains, Spain has a fully automated system, multi lingual touch screen kiosks at each station you do self service. When you hop on the sub-way or train there is a slot to verify, its an honor system. You can chance it and not pay but if you are caught by random inspecor you are fined $50 on the spot (They accept credit cards)
Automate the announcement system, so we know which stop is next.
Automate payment for parking, these $4 into a slot are ridiculous and open to fraud.

The MBTA is basically screwed. Fares only cover a fraction of the cost to transport people (I think I read only about 25%, so your $1.70 T ride really costs about $6 when you add in all the costs). Something's gotta be done, I have no idea what.

Unfortunately venting against the idiots at the top (and poor service) won't matter if the system does go under and the roughly 1.1 million (yes million with an "M") have to drive to work.

Like all gvt. bureaucracies it seems like the management is top heavy, Cut Management first and add service to attract new riders, raise fares by a miniscule amt only if necessary. people can't afford it as it stands now and will stop riding. And yes, most of those needing the system do not work 9 to 5 . What is the purpose of having a public transportation system if not to serve the poor and disadvantaged that cannot drive, as well as to keep cars off the roads. A good transportation system leads to growth and economic wellness. How about taxing those thousands that work in Massachusetts from New Hampshire that enjoy the economic benefits of this state yet don't contribute and pollute our air and congest our roads with their commute.

Glad to see you all finally realized the Bush was not the problem. The Commonwealth (e.g. they take wealth from you and give to themselves) of Massachusetts is a totally bankrupt and corrupt political hack system.

The MBTA is a joke. Unfortunately the public won’t be able to afford public transportation in the near future. Better start building more bike lanes.

Stop already! The T has no right to keep on increasing the fares-the service is a joke! The people running the system ought to think about cutting their salaries! Shame on you!

how do you get $5 billion in debt when you have 1.1 million riders a day each paying $1.70 per ride to the tune of $1,870,000 a day, and all you have to do is employ a minimal ammount of subway drivers, and signal operators (though the signaling of course is constantly not working right regardless)?

you make $1.8 million dollars a day, and don't have much to maintain, and still run like crap. wtf mbta?

Well just one more nail in the coffin of the Massachusetts taxpayer. Like I said in many earlier blogs, PAY, PAY, PAY IS THE MASSACHUSETTS WAY. The MBTA has long been noted as a safe haven for politician's family members and friends. Sorry that I never had the foresight to see the terrific pension, healthcare and other perks of working for the T.
With the economy being what it is with job cuts, pay cuts, rising costs to get to work, food prices spiraling along with gas and everything else the smart thing should be to stay home and collect welfare. .

You have to be kidding me. Take a look MBTA, you don't have any friends or any support from your riders.

Here's a thought - install turnstiles along the commuter rail stations, and don't allow people on unless they use their pass in the turnstile. That would reduct the amount of workers you need on the lines, and would insure every rider has paid before they get on the train.

If this upsets you (and it should), call your legislator and demand that transit authorities be granted greater leverage in application of funding. I don't know how it is split in MA, but usually some (large) portion of funding is strictly reserved for capital and a small portion, if anything at all, is available for operations. The message, "Buy all the busses you want, but if you need drivers, you're on your own."

For the next few years many organizations are going to be in a holding pattern, waiting for things to pick back up. An emergency bill to allow certain authorities to devote funds entirely to operations (with a two year sunset, perhaps) might keep systems like MBTA afloat, employees employed, and service running (without raising fairs).

Pensions are not really the problem, there is an article here in the Globe just a few days ago that most WORKERS in the public sector in MA contribute about 75% of what they get back after they retire, which is on par with private sector plans. Don't confuse "top management" (ie, politically connected hacks) with the people needed to do the work, who deserve fair pay and a decent retirement plan. The triple dippers and nest featherers are a much publicized few who have the connections to hop from one fluff job to another.

The T need to have a remeber that their basic service is transporting people rapidly and in a green-friendly way. Enough with the wifi on the commuter rail and similar ventures, that will not increase ridership one bit and the advertising campaign alone much have cost thousands. Fix the trains, fix the escalators, get the buses to run in some sensible way so 2 or 3 from the same route don't pull into a hub like Haymakrket at one time.

Cuts on late night service? A hike? We're going to be more expensive than NYC for WAY LESS SERVICE!

I mean seriously. Is this a real city? As it stands, the T pays a bunch of incompetents who often sleep on the job how much money to sit in booths? And now I'm going to have to pay more to wait more than the already too long 30 minutes I usually wait late nights. I'm sure the entertainment industry in this town will be thrilled about this.

Luckily, we have sooooo much parking around, so everyone can drive.

I like (previous commentor) Alan's idea of taxing commuters that take advantage of city amenities without contributing to the tax-base IF the tax is nominal enough that it is paid without much thought (like sale tax in most places.) I think Denver or Boulder (or maybe all of CO?) had a tax like that to redistribute funds to the places being used.

Govts must be careful, though, in the application. I think it would have to come in the form of an individual income tax--rather than a business tax--to avoid pushing firms out of the city (so many are already following their workers out to the burbs and settling down in godawful office parks.)

It could be linked to the employer's zip code on the W2 form. Some portion of the individual's tax dollars would be reallocated to that district to cover the presumed cost of maintaining the roads, sewers, utilities, etc that s/he uses while working. With funding for those items supported, city resident's tax dollars could be shifted to other things they use (schools, transit, etc.)

Kick em when they're down theory....
....this is just another company joining the bandwagon of companies making unnecessary cuts because people expect it.
I predicted this months ago there should be a criminal investigation into this activity....

They're just trying to generate contraversy. The only problem I see is that someone's saying the MBTA erred by misreading their earnings as debts.

Does anyone else get really upset thinking about how they are so deep in debt yet they are installing wireless internet on all of the commuter rail cars by this spring?

I love the wireless internet, but I always carry a book.

I think the people who want to raise the fares should have to pay them, too. Have them ride the Green Line for 45 minutes in the evening peak hours, get to North Station with barely enough time to catch your train at a running pace, find a seat that isn't cozy, be wedged up against someone, watch people stand from Boston to Reading, and then have the final insult to injury be your train is late because another train is disabled, derailed, or you have to yield to another train coming by because not only is there enough room on the train for everyone to sit, there isn't enough room for every train on the tracks.

Oh, and then tell them they are going to be paying more money for less trains.

I can foresee myself waking at my normal time of 5:15 (to get to work by 8:25) but not getting home until heavens knows when in the evenings, assuming there is a train that gets me home before I might as well sleep in the train station.

How many corners do you want me to cut, Deval? I already eat a 10 minute (at a desk) lunch to leave work on time to get on a train that is an express yet still gets me home 13 hours after I woke up.

This is an absolute disgrace.

Making threats against The Ride, the paratransit service for handicapped and elderly people, is unacceptible. This is a vital service for people who cannot access health care services by any other form of public transportation. Without The Ride, the most vulnerable among us would be left without affordable access to essential health care services.

Let's consider other cost-cutting ideas before we think about taking the safety net away from those who need it most.

What's crazy is that the MBTA owes the firm I work for about $500k for service we performed in the past decade. Now, I get to help pay the MBTA pay their debts and hope that my company gets the money it has earned. Sick. I think they should give my firm an employee discount! What's the benefit of working in Boston anymore? It used to be higher salaries. I might as well find a job closer to home because the money I'm spending commuting is a new car payment!! Train pass = $210 + $80 to park and they want to increase it by 20%. That's just crazy! How about they look at another way to generate income, like putting an ATM in every station and charging a $2 bank fee like all the banks do?!

Let's hear 3 cheers for all the efficiencies Duval Patrick was going to bring to Beacon Hill. How about starting with the money pit a.k.a. the MBTA? Cut the fat salaries, bring the benefits packages back to reality, and stop using the MBTA as a dumping ground for patronage jobs.

The day after I spent an hour standing in the wind and snow at a bus stop waiting for the bus which never came, I used the money for the future monthly pass to purchase a road bike.

And my bike and I are happy thereafter.

Bye bye, MBTA.

I cannot imagine the cruelty of cutting (actually eliminating) The Ride service for the disabled who have no other means of transportation to get to medical appointments and even to get to social activities that they otherwise could not attend. Many will be housebound again as they were many years ago; this is a giant step backwards! Doesn't the Americans With Disabilities Law protect the disabled from arbitrarily making these cuts and using them to "play politics"? Anybody can become disbled; it just takes one accident or illness to put anyone, even these pols, so eager to slash budgets in a wheelchair!

Why cant the MBTA get a coherent plan together, instead of just taking the easy way out (just raise the fairs with no restructuring). Obviously there needs to be some restructuring otherwise they wouldnt be in this mess.

Focus on rescheduling fairs for routes people dont use, so they are less frequent.

Raise fairs for everyone very slightly, but only at peak times for Charlie Card holders, off peak should remain static for Charlie Card users. The 7 day and monthly passes should remain static.

Bring compensation into line.

Generate more revenue, heres some ideas
Place video adverts on the T and at stations, using LCD TVs so content can change, were all stuck there waiting most the time, sure a trailer for ABC or NBC would be nice.
Get Comcast to put Wifi on the trians/ stations in exchange I'll put up with some adverts from them, and may be slightly happier with their cable bill. Maybe you could push adds through this service and get a % of the Comcast pie on this.
Im stating Comcast as they seem to have a monopoly here, but hey anyone will do. If another innovative company like Google or Microsoft wants to come save the day and can make money here so be it, someone can make money here giving consumers some Wifi.

Hire me, I'm unemployed and need a job.

Kind Regards, Des