T riders question service, fare hike
MBTA riders yesterday questioned why fares are continuing to rise, without any expansion in service.
Many said they could afford the increases proposed Friday -- from $1.25 to $1.70 for subways and trolleys and from 90 cents to $1.25 for buses -- but they voiced concern that such action was necessary at a time when the system still does not provide all-night service.
''They've gone up so much, so fast," said Michaela Rudis, a Cambridge real estate agent taking the T into downtown Boston from the Harvard Square stop. ''I've lived here 25 years, and I've always taken the T and this [rate increase] doesn't feel like it's a good option."
The last T fare hike was in January 2004, when bus fares rose from 75 cents to 90 cents and subway fares went from $1 to $1.25.
This new increase, which would take effect in January, is designed to help the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority grapple with its debt and offset lagging ridership and rising fuel costs.
The proposal would also eliminate what MBTA officials describe as unfair transit perks and quirks, such as the free outbound ride for Green Line surface station riders and the exit fare that Red Line riders must pay in Braintree and Quincy.
Rudis said she is less concerned about the extra 45 cents a T ride than the principle behind the increase.
''I think it'll be a hardship for some people," Rudis said. ''It's really too bad. I guess it's expensive to make the system work, but they're just getting the prices higher and higher."
Developer Dan Harty, who was taking the Red Line from Downtown Crossing to Alewife, agreed with Rudis.
''I don't think the service is going to go up," said Harty, who drives in from Shirley and takes the T. ''Nothing's going to change except for the fees."
Fees for the commuter rails will increase by as much as 22 percent, said MBTA officials, as will parking rates at lots from Quincy Center to Chestnut Hill.
Under the proposed changes, which will be subject to a series of public hearings and workshops, daily riders could end up paying less, because systemwide transfers would become free for those using CharlieCards. The cost of a rail-bus monthly pass would also drop by about $17. Less frequent riders, however, could find themselves paying even more if they use cash or CharlieTickets rather than the CharlieCard.
Systemwide transfers would be free for people who use their CharlieCard a certain number of times within an as-yet-unspecified amount of time.
People who use CharlieTickets will have to pay full price to transfer from bus to subway.
Still, the move doesn't leave monthly pass holder Catherine Wolf, 25, of Cambridge, feeling good. She thinks the rate increase will end up punishing reliable T riders.
''I think people should be rewarded for taking the T to save the environment," said Wolf, a high school teacher who commutes to Brookline, and likes that the T costs less than a gallon of gas. ''I understand they have to hike up the prices, but I take the T for the sake of saving."
Adrienne P. Samuels can be reached at asamuels@globe.com. 
