The T's Proposed Fare Increases

[superhero-girrl.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that most, if not all of you have heard about the fare increases that the MBTA is proposing come January 2004. Personally, I don't agree with it, and I was hoping that, by posting here, I might bring other people to contact the MBTA as well. Whether you oppose or support the proposed increases doesn't matter, I think that anyone and everyone who uses the T's busses and trains should contact them on this matter.


To Whom It May Concern:

This email is being sent as a means of opposition against the proposed fare increases. I’ve seen the brochures that you required your drivers to hand out to their passengers and I still must proclaim that I am absolutely appalled that you’d even think to suggest raising the fares. Like many people, I ride the T buses and subways daily to get to work. Buses are more often than not, late and the drivers, when confronted with their tardiness, try to excuse it as traffic issues. I know as well as anyone that occasionally traffic will cause a bus to be late, but I hardly think that it can happen on a daily basis. Staying a little along the lines of late buses, some of your drivers are just downright rude. We pay to use this service and I believe that, if we’re asking the driver something politely, we have earned a polite response back. I won’t deny that some of the riders are downright rude as well, but most of the time it’s in response to a drivers behavior. I’ve seen some drivers go as far as to leave handicapped people behind without explanation because the lift on their particular bus didn’t work. I’ve also experienced drivers either completely skipping over marked stops, or driving off when someone running for the bus is right near the doors. There’s no excuse for driving off if someone running for the bus is right there, and waiting a mere ten seconds so they can board the bus isn’t much to ask.

Maybe the MBTA is in dire straights financially, but I hardly think that it’s the riders who should be footing the bill when we’re not getting the service that we pay for as it is. Late or absent buses and trains, rude drivers, and unclean stations hardly merit the increase that you’re seeking. Most riders who use the T are hardly making it by in everyday living, let alone paying for the already ridiculous pass prices. We’re suffering financially as well, otherwise, I’m sure many of us would be driving to work.

Perhaps you who run the MBTA should seek to clean up your subways stations, place your bus stop in safer places, give a drivers customer courtesy training course, and ensure your buses and trains are on time before you come seeking more money from riders. I am, and shall, remain highly opposed to this fare increase until the T starts to make an effort of showing a little more concern for it’s riders.

Thank you, and have a wonderful day otherwise,

-Jennifer

(the rest of my actual work signature is cut for privacy reasons)


You can contact the MBTA about fare increases through this email address: fareproposal@mbta.com. They're also having Public Hearings, (which I'm sure many of you have heard about as well). The schedules for those can be found by clicking here.

Again, I urge all of you who use the T to contact them and let them know how you feel about this, whether it be in their favor or not. As a letter in the Boston Metro said this morning, we have no right to complain when the increased fare is imposed unless we try and say something now.

Thanks for your time everyone.

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<font="2">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

I'm sure that most, if not all of you have heard about the fare increases that the MBTA is proposing come January 2004. Personally, I don't agree with it, and I was hoping that, by posting here, I might bring other people to contact the MBTA as well. Whether you oppose or support the proposed increases doesn't matter, I think that anyone and everyone who uses the T's busses and trains should contact them on this matter.

<lj-cut text="My Letter To The MBTA">
<i>To Whom It May Concern:

This email is being sent as a means of opposition against the proposed fare increases. I’ve seen the brochures that you required your drivers to hand out to their passengers and I still must proclaim that I am absolutely appalled that you’d even think to suggest raising the fares. Like many people, I ride the T buses and subways daily to get to work. Buses are more often than not, late and the drivers, when confronted with their tardiness, try to excuse it as traffic issues. I know as well as anyone that occasionally traffic will cause a bus to be late, but I hardly think that it can happen on a daily basis. Staying a little along the lines of late buses, some of your drivers are just downright rude. We pay to use this service and I believe that, if we’re asking the driver something politely, we have earned a polite response back. I won’t deny that some of the riders are downright rude as well, but most of the time it’s in response to a drivers behavior. I’ve seen some drivers go as far as to leave handicapped people behind without explanation because the lift on their particular bus didn’t work. I’ve also experienced drivers either completely skipping over marked stops, or driving off when someone running for the bus is right near the doors. There’s no excuse for driving off if someone running for the bus is right there, and waiting a mere ten seconds so they can board the bus isn’t much to ask.

Maybe the MBTA is in dire straights financially, but I hardly think that it’s the riders who should be footing the bill when we’re not getting the service that we pay for as it is. Late or absent buses and trains, rude drivers, and unclean stations hardly merit the increase that you’re seeking. Most riders who use the T are hardly making it by in everyday living, let alone paying for the already ridiculous pass prices. We’re suffering financially as well, otherwise, I’m sure many of us would be driving to work.

Perhaps you who run the MBTA should seek to clean up your subways stations, place your bus stop in safer places, give a drivers customer courtesy training course, and ensure your buses and trains are on time before you come seeking more money from riders. I am, and shall, remain highly opposed to this fare increase until the T starts to make an effort of showing a little more concern for it’s riders.

Thank you, and have a wonderful day otherwise,

-Jennifer</i>

<b>(the rest of my actual work signature is cut for privacy reasons)</b>
</lj-cut>

You can contact the MBTA about fare increases through this email address: <a href="mailto:fareproposal@mbta.com?subject=Fare Increases">fareproposal@mbta.com</a>. They're also having Public Hearings, (which I'm sure many of you have heard about as well). The schedules for those can be found <a href="http://www.mbta.com/contact_us/proposed_fare.asp#publichearing">by clicking here</a>.

Again, I urge all of you who use the T to contact them and let them know how you feel about this, whether it be in their favor or not. As a letter in the Boston Metro said this morning, we have no right to complain when the increased fare is imposed unless we try and say something now.

Thanks for your time everyone.

<font="2">::cross-posted in <user site="livejournal.com" comm="b0st0n">::</font>

-Jenn

Comments

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

If you are willing to hear some creative critisim:

I think that you should make the service problems and the fare hike two different issues. The service issue is an issue at any fare price. "Not getting the service we are paying for" is a weak statement, I doubt the current fare could actually support a commercial venture. I know that in at least some cities the fares are much higher.

I think that you should get real numbers on what other cities are doing, and compare how fare prices actually effect important issues. You should also research the MBTAs costs, subsidies and income and understand those issues as you argue.

I think that you should find issues that concern the MBTA. They don't care about how much you don't want to pay a new fare hike. People never want to pay more for anything.

[dmaze]

I doubt the current fare could actually support a commercial venture.

I think the standard is generally that farebox revenues are about a third of total income for public transit agencies, and I don't think the T is terribly out of line here. Other cities do have higher fares, and in many cases, for far worse service (I grew up in San Jose, which has higher fares, but all of the transit is really slow compared to highway driving, for example). More reputable transit services do generally seem to have free bus-to-subway transfers, though, and it'd be nice if the T could do this too.

[superhero-girrl.livejournal.com]

Creative criticism is fine. In fact, even though I already sent the MBTA the letter that you see above, I was hoping to get more ideas on what to put in a possible second letter to them. I got quite a few comments from both communities I posted this in, so it got me to thinking about the real issue at hand.

[superhero-girrl.livejournal.com]

Point well taken that other cities have much higher fares. I was actually thinking about that in the back of my head when writing this letter, but I didn't pay much mind to it.

To be honest, I think that the transfers may be part of the reason that the T feels they need to raise fares, but that's really just my opinion in the matter.