Last week, the MBTA released its finalized proposal for fare hikes and service cuts in order to close the nearly $200 million budget deficit the agency was up against for 2012. The proposal was drastically less painful than either of original two proposals which the MBTA was considering, and the minimal impact of the changes – which go into effect on July 1st if approved by the legislature – should be applauded. However, we must acknowledge these service changes are merely a temporary bandage and there is much to be done – particularly by the state legislature – before we can stop worrying about what lies down the road.
A combination of a modest fare hike, mild service cuts, the use of surplus snow removal funds, and a slew of advertising and parking revenue deals were able to close the 2012 budget. What most people will find out in what averages out to a 23 percent system-wide fare hike is that subway fares will be going from $1.70 to $2 with a Charlie Card, $2 to $2.50 with a Charlie Ticket, and $59 to $70 for a monthly Link Pass. Bus fares increased from $1.25 to $1.50 with a Charlie Card, $1.50 to $2.00 with a Charlie Ticket, and $40 to $48 for a monthly bus pass. Commuter rail fares will have anywhere from $1.25 to $2.25 tacked on to existing fares and will be shelling out $38 to $64 more for monthly passes. If we are going to be realistic about fare increases, then we must admit this was the minimum we could expect from the MBTA and we can all dig a few dollars a month deeper in order to use what is still a bargain on commuting.
The most feared aspect of service changes, the service cuts, were also kept to a minimum. Most notable among them are the elimination of the Green Line’s E-Line service past Brigham Circle on weekends, no commuter service on weekends for the Greenbush, Plymouth, and Needham lines, and the elimination of only four weekday bus routes – the 48, 355, 500, and 710. Previously, the MBTA threatened to cut all E-Line service on weekends, eliminate somewhere in the ballpark of 25 percent of their bus routes, all weekend commuter rail service, and all ferry services. Together with various degrees of bus route modifications and weekend eliminations, service is relatively untouched compared to the MBTA’s original proposals.
Despite the MBTA’s best efforts, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey is quoted saying “This is a one year solution in front of us. Next year’s budget deficit is $100 million” and “we’re going to be back here a year from now talking about more cuts.” Further action to prevent such a situation falls squarely on the state legislature, with debt restructuring and transportation funding in need of reform. During the Big Dig, the redirection of MBTA funding for highway projects, $1.7 billion in legally mandated MBTA expansion studies and projects as highway project mitigation, and a loss of $1.85 billion in funding due to ‘forward funding’ – a scheme which directly linked the fate of the MBTA’s funding to the state sales’ tax, which ultimately floundered in a collapsing economy.
Along with patching up the damage done in the past, the state must also ensure a stable source of funding and proper management. The Ride – a taxi service for the disabled, particularly the elderly, “carries less than one percent of the T’s passengers, but consumes almost 10 percent of its budget” according The Boston Globe. The Ride’s costs have quadrupled in the past decade, with each trip averaging out at $40, and costs are expected to continue to balloon. The time is now for legislative action to properly maintain and efficiently manage Boston’s lifeline so we don’t have to face potentially drastic service changes next year.   This  issue is imperative to the continued growth and prosperity of Massachusetts, and should be a main priority on Beacon Hill.