Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Transit Police have released numbers for their "Operation Fare Game," a crackdown on people who jump the turnstiles or otherwise avoid paying to ride the T.
A crackdown on subway freeloaders has resulted in more than 600 citations being issued since July 9. The Transit Police released numbers on Thursday for "Operation Fare Game." So far, 636 citations have been handed out. There are various ways to avoid paying your fare. One tactic is "piggybacking," or walking in right behind someone who did pay. Another is holding the sensor open for people behind you, as anti-austerity activists are prone to do. The citations carry fines. A first offense is $50, a second will cost you $100 and a third will set you back $300. If you don't pay up within a month, your driver's license could be put on "nonrenewal" status — the same as happens when you don't pay parking tickets. Freeloading deprives the …
Monday, July 23, 2012
Members of the Boston Fare Strike Coalition, who held gates open at five MBTA stations so the public could ride the T for free last week, plan to hold fare evasion protests on the first Friday of every month.
The activist group Boston Fare Strike Coalition plans to hold a mass fare evasion day on the first Friday of every month to protest the MBTA fare hikes which went into effect on July 1. They also hope to use the event to build an organized public resistance to fight future fare increases or service cuts. The group intends to create better literature and signs, to take a more targeted approach to which stations they chose to "liberate," and to create a buzz in those communities beforehand so residents have a clear understanding of what the fare evasions are all about. "I'm very concerned the message people are getting is not the message we're putting out at all," said Bill Lewis, a facilitator and outreach coordinator for Occupy Boston. …
Friday, July 13, 2012
A protest group aims to foster mass fare evasions on the MBTA on Friday in protest of the recent fare hike and service cuts.
While most commuters limit their protest of the T's recent fare hikes and service cuts to grumbling, one activist group is going the civil disobedience route. "Boston Fare Strike" plans to do a mass fare evasion at Park Street station. If it goes as scheduled, it would mimic a previous rally in which dozens of protesters poured through the turnstiles at Park Street in June. Attached is video of that action. But this time the free-ride seekers might have some more consequences to their protest. This week T police started issuing $50 tickets to people caught evading the turnstiles. The Transit Police made a point of posting news of their crackdown on their Twitter feed. The fare evaders also have their social media networks up and running…
Saturday, June 30, 2012
It will cost more to ride the T starting this weekend — and some routes will have decreased service.
On Sunday the MBTA's fare increases start. They're being imposed—along with service cuts—to close the transit agency's $160 million budget gap. Those service cuts also begin Sunday. There are other changes, like an increase in the surcharge for getting your Commuter Rail ticket on the train (if the station where you board has ticket machines). THE RIDE will add a more expensive $5 zone starting Oct. 1. For a complete list of changes taking place on the MBTA system beginning Sunday, visit this T link or check out the PDFs attached to this post. Here's a look at the new costs:
Friday, June 29, 2012
It will cost more to ride the T starting this weekend.
It's almost July, and the MBTA's fare increases are almost here. Beginning Sunday, T riders will need to pay more to board trains and buses. Here's a look at the new costs: There are other fare changes to things line Communter Rail tickets and THE RIDE. For a complete list of changes taking place on the MBTA system beginning Sunday, visit here.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The mayors of Boston, Somerville, Salem and Fitchburg spoke to a crowd in the lobby of South Station, vowing to work for long-term funding for the state's rails, roads and bridges.
Mayors, a senator and the secretary of transportation all spoke at a "Transportation Summit" in bustling South Station, calling for long-term, sustainable ways to pay for the state's infrastructure needs. Not one of them uttered the phrase "gas tax." Instead, the focus was on selling the idea that the Commonwealth needs a statewide way to pay for rails, roads and bridges. The PR blitz kicked off what is expected to be a widespread campaign to bring in various constituencies, like business, greens and labor. Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone made the case that it makes economic sense to invest in transportation. "Everyone knows," said the five-term mayor, "that a modern, comprehensive and efficient and reliable transportation system is a non-…
Thursday, June 7, 2012
T riders, already set to have their fares hiked 23 percent on July 1, might be asked to dig even deeper if state politicians don't come through on a promised $51 million bailout.
A delay by Beacon Hill pols in making good on a promised $51 million cash infusion for the MBTA might cause the transit agency to ask strapped riders to shell out even more in fare hikes. Commuters could also suffer further service cuts. The unfulfilled bargain was part of the deal brokered earlier this year to close the MBTA's $159 million budget shortfall. Riders will pay a 23 percent fare increase, coupled with some service cuts, starting in just three weeks. State legislators keep dawdling on one one-time infusion of unused state auto inspection fees, according to the Herald. "I have to say that even for this Legislature, this is really shocking," T board member Ferdinand Alvaro told the tabloid. "With three weeks left and no …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Group holds People's Assembly inside the State House.
The sound of “No” echoed through the halls of the State House Wednesday as more than 100 protestors affiliated with Occupy Boston gathered at the base of the Grand Staircase to protest the MBTA’s budget plan. The group, which began its rally outside on Beacon Street, declared public transportation a civil right and said that protests at recent MBTA hearings had gone unheard. “[So,] we are creating our own hearing, and we’re having it inside the State House,” said Katie Gradowski. She and Noah McKenna led the rally from the front steps, joined by a giant-sized puppet of “Charlie” bearing a “99%” button. McKenna noted that the day’s Boston rally was part of a national day of action, and he and Gradowski declared that the MBTA was balancing …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The proposed increases would be disproportionately detrimental to youth, seniors and the disabled, protesters say.
If the Department of Transportation passes its proposed MBTA fare increases Wednesday afternoon, Curtis Shelnut could face some difficult decisions, such as which dialysis session to skip or which medical appointment to miss. "This is my livelihood," Shelnut, who lives on St. Botolph Street, said of his access to medical services, which is provided by the MBTA's The Ride. "I'm speaking from the heart now. They cannot do this to us." Protesters: The State Should Pay Shelnut was one of a dozen or so protesters in front of the State House late Tuesday morning. The group is staging a 24-hour vigil to urge the Legislature to cover the MBTA's $91 million deficit. "Failed Forward Funding legislation and Big Dig debt have bankrupted the T and …
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The official public comment period on the proposed fare hikes and service cuts ended last night, but the Metropolitan Area Planning Council still has a point to make.
After months of debate over the MBTA's proposed Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 for cutting services and raising fares to meet their projected $161 million budget deficit, the period of public comment ended last night at the MBTA's final public hearing, held at a senior center in Brighton. In a Boston Globe article on the meeting, MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis explained how they were going to move forward. According to him and the Globe, "neither of the two previously released scenarios will be selected by the agency’s board," but, "Instead, the committee that drafted those two proposals will take testimony from all of the hearings’ speakers and feedback from more than 5,600 e-mails and draft new recommendations." The MBTA board's …
