Michelle Wu wants the MBTA to be free (Boston: hotels, to buy)

[BostonBornMassMade]

If the T really only gets 20% of lots operating costs from fares as Wu claims, id bet that maintenance of the often broken fare collection system is about 2% of its costs.

That leaves an 18% gap in funding, is it possible to divide that 18% four ways with an increased gas tax, marijuana tax, millionaires tax and vacant building/luxury condo tax? IDK just spitballing..

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Naw we didn't all get MBTA passes. And there were two different types of passes-one that were free for school, ones that were a reduced price, one was reduced on weekends, one was not. I dont remember the details. Also the school allows you one lost or stolen pass if I recall. Depends on the school you go to as well. I went to private school as did my friend but we went on little to no tuition.

This may be the kicker. I went to BPS and pretty much everyone got free passes, iirc. The one loophole was that if you technically lived “within walking distance” of the school, you didn’t get one. I think those kids were still eligible for reduced fair cards though.

Originally Posted by miu

And you seem to feel entitled to use a McDonalds bathroom for free. At least have some sympathy for the employees who have to take turns cleaning and restocking the bathrooms. And be thankful to McDonalds for buying hand soap, paper towels and toilet paper for you to use. Plus, the city does change the restaurants for water and sewage usage.

Way back when, I’d use the bathroom at the McDonalds in Kenmore Square while walking there from high school to take the 57 home. Where exactly in Kenmore Square should I have gone instead? There aren’t any municipal buildings in or near Kenmore that I can think of. And heck, even if there were, someone would still be hired to clean and stock the bathroom.

Please tell me where you use the bathroom whenever you’re traveling and need to go. Do you really buy food from a restaurant just to use its bathroom even if you aren’t hungry?

Originally Posted by turf3

I guess over there at Harvard they don't teach TANSTAAFL. Only us hicks and rubes that didn't have the advantage of four or six years at old John H's place pick that kind of stuff up.

Do you use toll roads every day to get to and from work? If not, then you’re the one getting the “free lunch”. Not MBTA riders.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Way back when, I’d use the bathroom at the McDonalds in Kenmore Square while walking there from high school to take the 57 home. Where exactly in Kenmore Square should I have gone instead? There aren’t any municipal buildings in or near Kenmore that I can think of. And heck, even if there were, someone would still be hired to clean and stock the bathroom.

Please tell me where you use the bathroom whenever you’re traveling and need to go. Do you really buy food from a restaurant just to use its bathroom even if you aren’t hungry?

You can't use the bathroom at McD in Times Square without buying something. Many places in NYC have the same policy.

[miu]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Way back when, I’d use the bathroom at the McDonalds in Kenmore Square while walking there from high school to take the 57 home. Where exactly in Kenmore Square should I have gone instead? There aren’t any municipal buildings in or near Kenmore that I can think of. And heck, even if there were, someone would still be hired to clean and stock the bathroom.

Please tell me where you use the bathroom whenever you’re traveling and need to go. Do you really buy food from a restaurant just to use its bathroom even if you aren’t hungry?

You should have gone to the bathroom at your high school, before you began your journey home.

And, if I need to use the bathroom at McDonalds or a gas station, I do make a purchase while I am there. It's only FAIR to them. They don't owe me free bathroom privileges.

Do you use toll roads every day to get to and from work? If not, then you’re the one getting the “free lunch”. Not MBTA riders.

I avoid the toll roads. It actually isn't all that cheap since for a commuter, daily toll road use adds up in a month. I believe that the Mass Pike tolls actually paid for its upkeep, but then they channeled the revenue to help pay for the Big Dig project. I hope that you enjoy the newly created greenway they made when the elevated highway was torn down.

And no, I don't think that adding a gas tax to support the T ridership would be fair. Boston just has to stop adding office space and jobs and the MA governor has to help spread the work elsewhere in the state.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by redplum33

You can't use the bathroom at McD in Times Square without buying something. Many places in NYC have the same policy.

And so tourists are encouraged to...pee on the street?

Originally Posted by miu

And, if I need to use the bathroom at McDonalds or a gas station, I do make a purchase while I am there. It's only FAIR to them. They don't owe me free bathroom privileges.

Seems wasteful to me. But I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on this.

I avoid the toll roads. It actually isn't all that cheap since for a commuter, daily toll road use adds up in a month. I believe that the Mass Pike tolls actually paid for its upkeep, but then they channeled the revenue to help pay for the Big Dig project. I hope that you enjoy the newly created greenway they made when the elevated highway was torn down.

So you support doing away with T fares?

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by redplum33

You can't use the bathroom at McD in Times Square without buying something. Many places in NYC have the same policy.

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

And so tourists are encouraged to...pee on the street?

No, they are encouraged to buy something.

At that McD, you can't even sit down in there without buying something. It's set up so that you order when you walk in. It has an upstairs and that's where the seating and bathrooms are. There's a cop at the bottom of the stairs that makes you show your receipt before you can go upstairs. And, if I remember correctly, I believe there's a 30 minute time limit.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by redplum33

No, they are encouraged to buy something.

At that McD, you can't even sit down in there without buying something. It's set up so that you order when you walk in. It has an upstairs and that's where the seating and bathrooms are. There's a cop at the bottom of the stairs that makes you show your receipt before you can go upstairs. And, if I remember correctly, I believe there's a 30 minute time limit.

Yikes.

[BostonBornMassMade]

You all are really for forcing people to buy stuff to use the bathroom? Have you smelt NYC? Police at the stairs? Receipts? It’s all crazy and punitive.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

If the T really only gets 20% of lots operating costs from fares as Wu claims, id bet that maintenance of the often broken fare collection system is about 2% of its costs.

The T actually reports that this number is somewhere between 30-40% depending on what services you include (I.e. just subway vs. subway+bus+commuter+ferry,etc) https://d3044s2alrsxog.cloudfront.ne...statements.pdf . So I’m not sure where she is getting these numbers from. Regardless, that’s a significant chunk of operating costs to somehow offset.

Originally Posted by redplum33

You can't use the bathroom at McD in Times Square without buying something. Many places in NYC have the same policy.

The free public restrooms in Times Square at the visitors center help to avoid this problem. After hours, any hotel lobby (Marriott Marquis is my choice in that area) will help skirt this issue. NYC has some excellent and free public restrooms (just google best public restrooms in NYC a Bryant Park has gorgeous bathrooms). That helps enable restaurants and stores to be more restrictive. The US is actually better than a lot of counties on that front - in a lot of Europe, there are fees to use them (even if you’re a paying customer). At the Boston Public Market gives paying customers a bathroom code. Otherwise you can’t use them (unless you ask the right employee or pull receipts from the trash).

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

You all are really for forcing people to buy stuff to use the bathroom? Have you smelt NYC? Police at the stairs? Receipts? It’s all crazy and punitive.

What's the alternative? A McD filled with drug dealers and homeless junkies around the clock - while hundreds (if not thousands) of tourists pop in to use the bathrooms without buying anything?

Would you want to go there for a Big Mac?