Transit

MBTA to hike fares

by Laura A. Siegel

The speakers told of nights abandoned in freezing weather after trains broke down, rides in elevators stinking of urine, passengers in wheelchairs stranded on broken bus lifts. If the MBTA is making us pay more, they demanded, what will we get in return? Such were the sentiments of the more than 70 people who attended a public hearing last Monday afternoon at the Federal Reserve Bank auditorium to voice their opinions on a proposed rate hike by the transit agency. It was one of seven public hearings to be held this month to discuss the issue.

This Saturday, July 1, the entire funding structure of the T will change. As required in legislation passed as part of the state budget last November, the T will now have to issue its own bonds and stick to a budget, instead of just billing the state for any overruns as it did in the past. And the state is pressuring the agency to increase the amount of money it takes in from fares, parking fees, and ads to half its budget -- up from about 37 percent. So the T is raising fares.

Under the current proposal, base subway fares would rise 17.6 percent, from 85 cents to a dollar. Bus fare would go from 60 to 75 cents. Monthly subway passes would rise from $27 to $35 -- a hike of almost 30 percent.

"We think it's bad for people's pocketbooks, we think it's bad for the environment, we think it's bad for the neighborhoods," said Rob Sargent, legislative director of MassPIRG, at Monday's hearing. As fares go up, Sargent pointed out, many people will stop riding the T and start driving, which will mean more traffic and pollution -- and possibly less revenue.

It has been nine years since the last fare hike. The T couldn't be expected to stay at 85 cents forever. As MBTA planning director Dennis DiZoglio pointed out, the T's expenses have risen along with everyone else's. And even after the increase, the base subway fare will still be cheaper in Boston than in other major cities -- it's $1.50 in New York, $1.10 in Washington.

But Boston, unlike New York, offers no free bus-to-subway transfer, essentially doubling the fare for many passengers. Last fall's legislation makes it illegal for the T to raise the fare without providing free or discounted transfers, Sargent said.

Whatever the fare, what came out at the hearings was the public's dissatisfaction with the T's service -- the crowding, the waits, the broken lighting and air conditioning, the infrequent weekend service, the infamous screeeeech!

The message was clear: the public is willing to pay more as long as it gets what it's paying for. The T is supposed to use the extra money to upgrade facilities, from tracks to bus shelters to stations. Let's hope the agency does it right.