How Will The Proposed T Cuts and Fare Increase Affect You? (Boston: price, law)

[Northern-Mike]

With the T proposing to cut weekend Commuter Rail service and several bus routes, how will it affect you if it goes through? Right now it will not really affect me, but could if I move to another area of the city, including the outer suburbs.

Here is a list of proposed cuts for bus routes:

scenerio #1
Eliminate Weekday Routes: 4, 48, 52,
170, 217, 275, 276, 277, 325, 351,
354, 355, 436, 439, 448, 449, 451,
465, 468, 500, 554, 555, and CT3

Eliminate Saturday Routes: 33, 48,
52, 72, 78, 136, 171, 211, 230, 245,
275, 276, 277, 436, 451, 465, 504,
553, and 554

Eliminate Sunday Routes: 18, 37/38,
43, 59, 78, 136, 137, 171, 201, 202,
211, 230, 245, 275, 276, 277, 431,
and 436

Private carrier
reductions
Eliminate Private Carrier Bus Program
in Canton and Medford and eliminate
Suburban Bus Program subsidies to
Bedford, Boston (Mission Hill), Beverly,
Burlington, Dedham, and Lexington

The RIDE
reductions
Increase RIDE base fares to 2x
CharlieTicket fixed-route base price,
and institute $12 premium fares for
non-ADA (outside of fixed route service
area, before/after hours, or same day)
trips

Ferry reductions Eliminate all Ferry Routes
Commuter rail
reductions
Eliminate Commuter Rail service after
10 p.m. and weekend service


Eliminate E Branch and Mattapan
Trolley weekend service

Scenerio #2 (same as above but also)

Bus Route Reductions: Eliminate
Routes (all days): 4, 5, 14, 18, 27, 29,
33, 37, 38, 40, 43, 45, 48, 50, 51, 52,
55, 59, 60, 62, 64, 67, 68, 74, 75, 76,
78, 79, 80, 85, 90, 92, 95, 96, 97, 99,
100, 105, 106, 108, 112, 119, 120,
121, 131, 132, 136, 137, 170, 171,
201, 202, 210, 211, 212, 215, 217,
230, 236, 238, 240, 245, 275, 276,
277, 325, 326, 350, 351, 352, 354,
355, 411, 424, 428, 429, 430, 431,
434, 435, 436, 439, 441, 448, 449,
451, 456, 459, 465, 468, 500, 501,
502, 503, 505, 553, 554, 555, 556,
558, CT3
All Private Carrier and Suburban Bus
Routes Route Revisions:
- Cut 34E back to Walpole
- Cut 70A segment
- Cut 134 back to West Medford
- Combine 214 and 216
- Cut 220, 221, and 222 back to
Bicknell Sq.
- Cut 225 back to Weymouth Landing
- Cut 426, 442, 450, and 455 to
Wonderland

Source: MBTA

[Cato the Elder]

This will just encourage more cars out on the streets, which is the opposite effect of what we want. I can see an argument for not investing in rail in low density areas, but this obviously does not apply to the Northeast. It's an embarrassment that developing countries have rail technology generations ahead of ours. When my administrator first took commuter rail, she was shocked by the "dinosaurs" after growing up in Germany. She said it reminded her of her childhood in the 50s not too long after the war. We should invest more and expect more. The commuter rail contract going out to former MBTA executives who started their company to specifically game the system was NOT a step in the right direction.

[nancy thereader]

this obviously does not apply to the Northeast.

Will I still be able to get to the Gateway Center by bus, I wonder. That is in the Northeast, right? Do you think they will forego the proposed extension of the Green line?

[Northern-Mike]

By law they have to build the green line extension. The big question is when?

Some of the bus routes that go by Gateway Center are proposed to be cut, but not all of them though. It all depends on where you are coming from.

[Northern-Mike]

These routes are proposed to be cut that go by Gateway Center which is in Medford, yes?

97 Wellington-Malden
99 Wellington-Boston Regional Medical Center
105 Sullivan Station-Malden
106 Wellington-Lebanon St., Malden
112 Wellington-Wood Island Station

[Northern-Mike]

Ok, Gateway Center is actually in Everett, I forgot. The 97 bus goes directly into the Plaza.

[theSUBlime]

I'm trying to move by August, so I guess we'll see.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

this obviously does not apply to the Northeast.

Will I still be able to get to the Gateway Center by bus, I wonder. That is in the Northeast, right? Do you think they will forego the proposed extension of the Green line?

The Green line has been put off till 2018.....

[goyguy]

The cuts in bus routes won't have that drastic an effect on me, though I make occasional trips to Belmont and Lexington which would be impacted. (Particularly the latter, if Route 76 is done away with altogether.) What really bugs me is the idea of dropping ALL commuter-rail service on weekends. I rely on it for mental-health day trips and overnights. Many visitors to our fair city arrive without cars in hopes of being able to take the T everywhere. Dropping the trains will do a real number on places like Plymouth, Newburyport, Concord, etc etc etc.
As for a fare hike, I'd suck it up as I have so many times before. (When I landed here at the very end of the 1970's a quarter would get you on any local bus or subway, not to mention that all above-ground trolleys were free when you were headed outbound.) The significance of these drastic proposals is that they're strictly for "debt service" - much of it to the Big Dig - and do nothing to bring about a healthy balance sheet. In other words, it's a short-term Band Aid to patch a gaping wound.

[AbrasaxEos]

I'd say that the latter plan would affect me more. I would much rather pay a bit more in fares (which would still be less than a lot of other metro areas) than lose so many services. I also find it strange that when ridership is so high, that riders should be asked to both agree to a increase in cost and decrease in services. Seems a tad incongruous.

Further, have the folks who are proposing these service cuts been to Forest Hills at rush hour times (or really even from 3PM on)? Cutting the 40, 50, 51 and 37 would make the remaining bus routes unbearably packed. Further, cutting the E branch on the Green line on weekends? I go to Copley every Sunday at about 2PM, and when the E trains pass they are packed to the hilt! As goyguy mentions, I can deal with a fare hike, but paired with a service reduction? Too much.