- Photo by Deborah Sirotkin Butler
T Riders came from Worcester, Saugus, Natick, Newton, Arlington and many more towns and cities – not just from Metro Boston, but from the entire state – to say “NO!” to service cuts and fare hikes at a rally and march on Saturday, February 25. The rally was held in Copley Square.
A T Rider from Worcester uses the commuter rail to get to work in Boston. He said he is not alone in doing this and that ending weekend commuter rail service would cost him his job and mean he would stop attending concerts or going to restaurants in Boston. The rider stated, “This temporary solution will cause long term damage to the state’s economy.”
A school bus driver stated that most other industrial countries don’t expect public transportation to pay for itself. Like roads and bridges, good public transportation is part of the infrastructure required for a growing economy. He stated that the T proposal would amount to a wage cut for working people, and would be a 25% pay cut for his daughter who relies on the MBTA. Less take home pay would mean students who drop out of school, fewer restaurant meals, and a slowed-down economy.
Another speaker used the T to come to the rally from Beverly. She stated that if the T’s proposal had passed, she would have been unable to come to the rally. She said that in less than 10 years, the cost of a round trip from Beverly has increased 250% and that she cannot continue to absorb that kind of fee hike. She is sure that if the MBTA hikes rates this year, they will just come back for more next year.
Another speaker shared that cuts to “The Ride” would be devastating. Many seniors and people with disabilities rely on “The Ride” to get to appointments or to go anywhere. The co-pay for the ride may increase from $2.00 each way to $4.50 each way, which means disabled people on a fixed income may have to choose between eating and appointments like physical therapy.
If banks can get bailouts, why not the MBTA? Too much is riding on the MBTA for the T to be allowed to fail its riders.
3 Responses to “Residents gather from around the state to say ‘NO’ to MBTA service cuts and fare increases”
on February 26th, 2012 at 4:37 am #
[…] Residents gather from around the state to say ‘NO’ to MBTA service cuts and fare increases This entry was posted in Boston and tagged boston, butler, commuter, events, […]
Just because the MBta has been mismanaged doesn’t mean they can make it rain money- its a zero sum game folks
Amazing
“Accountability” The MBTA was saddled with the Big Dig debt which resulted from mismanagement by Beacon Hill, cronyism on Beacon Hill and downright theft – that debt had NOTHING to do with how the MBTA was managed and should never have been dumped on the MBTA.