The T
The following is a LOCAL rant.
I started my blog a couple of years ago to rant about the DNC in a local and political sense and it has just grown from there… So I think I’m right to blog about Boston Mass Transit.
I hate the MBTA. Hate it. Hate it.
You know how I feel about Boston Mass Transit? I hate it.
The reason I feel the need to yell is that I read in the paper last week that they plan to raise the rate 25% next year. This will be the second time they’ve raised it 25% in about 3 years. The first time they raised it because ridership was off, and they wanted to increase revenue. They had to have permission from the Governor to do this, as part of their charter said that if ridership was low- no rate increase. Our Governor is Mitt- and like most neo cons want to run government like a business; which means cutting it’s losses. So Mitt allowed the T to increase it’s rate to 90 cents for the bus from.75 and 1.25 for the train, up from 1.00 With this fare increase, you might assume that the MBTA also did some studies as to why ridership was low- not so. Or you might think that they might use SOME of this money to try and provide better service- again you would be wrong.
The Boston Mass Transit System is just as bad now as it was 3 years ago. The only service ‘added’ was part of the multi billion dollar Big Dig, where they added A bus line ( that’s right only one bus line was added as they dug up and moved train tracks).
Heck in the 90’s they moved a train line from a… well I don’t know what the p.c. term is, but a poor black neighborhood. At the time they promised that they would give this neighborhood back it’s service- or equal service. Instead they have a bus route- which can’t move as many people, is slower due to traffic and produces more smog.
It also bothers me that I work at a tourist destination. There is a Train stop for this area. There however is NOT a Transit worker there. Which is to say, there is NO way for the tourists to get train tokens or ‘exact’ change, save by bugging me for change. I think this is a sub standard way to run a business and if they want more money, they should provide better services.
And while I’m asking for better services- the new rate would be 1.55. For $2, I get a 24/7 system in NYC. I think if Boston wants to compete with New York (which they seem to do every time I see a Yankees Suck! Shirt), the transit system should run 24/7… or at the very least a ½ hour after the bars.
Lastly would that MY salary went up as much as the train. I think ridership could be down because they’re just making it too damn expensive. The year that the bus fare went up 15 cents… my salary went up 21 cents an HOUR. So two hours of my raise were spent on the bus. That’s not counting the raises in prices of everything else I need/want.
I started my blog a couple of years ago to rant about the DNC in a local and political sense and it has just grown from there… So I think I’m right to blog about Boston Mass Transit.
I hate the MBTA. Hate it. Hate it.
You know how I feel about Boston Mass Transit? I hate it.
The reason I feel the need to yell is that I read in the paper last week that they plan to raise the rate 25% next year. This will be the second time they’ve raised it 25% in about 3 years. The first time they raised it because ridership was off, and they wanted to increase revenue. They had to have permission from the Governor to do this, as part of their charter said that if ridership was low- no rate increase. Our Governor is Mitt- and like most neo cons want to run government like a business; which means cutting it’s losses. So Mitt allowed the T to increase it’s rate to 90 cents for the bus from.75 and 1.25 for the train, up from 1.00 With this fare increase, you might assume that the MBTA also did some studies as to why ridership was low- not so. Or you might think that they might use SOME of this money to try and provide better service- again you would be wrong.
The Boston Mass Transit System is just as bad now as it was 3 years ago. The only service ‘added’ was part of the multi billion dollar Big Dig, where they added A bus line ( that’s right only one bus line was added as they dug up and moved train tracks).
Heck in the 90’s they moved a train line from a… well I don’t know what the p.c. term is, but a poor black neighborhood. At the time they promised that they would give this neighborhood back it’s service- or equal service. Instead they have a bus route- which can’t move as many people, is slower due to traffic and produces more smog.
It also bothers me that I work at a tourist destination. There is a Train stop for this area. There however is NOT a Transit worker there. Which is to say, there is NO way for the tourists to get train tokens or ‘exact’ change, save by bugging me for change. I think this is a sub standard way to run a business and if they want more money, they should provide better services.
And while I’m asking for better services- the new rate would be 1.55. For $2, I get a 24/7 system in NYC. I think if Boston wants to compete with New York (which they seem to do every time I see a Yankees Suck! Shirt), the transit system should run 24/7… or at the very least a ½ hour after the bars.
Lastly would that MY salary went up as much as the train. I think ridership could be down because they’re just making it too damn expensive. The year that the bus fare went up 15 cents… my salary went up 21 cents an HOUR. So two hours of my raise were spent on the bus. That’s not counting the raises in prices of everything else I need/want.
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