The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s proposal to raise fares and cut service brought hundreds of protesting T riders to the MBTA’s general meeting on Monday, chanting, “Down with the cuts.”
Bostonians, in the most recent public hearing regarding the MBTA’s fiscal crisis, called the elevated costs proposed by the MBTA a discriminatory and potentially devastating punishment for regular T riders.
Paul Shannon said he came to speak out against the MBTA’s proposed fare increases because it is ridiculous that the richest country in the world cannot afford the future of public transit.
“The money is there,” he said, “but we have to stabilize the transportation system. This fight is to hold onto the system we have now.”
Shannon, of Somerville, who asked to keep her last name anonymous, said a cutback in service would create turmoil and “wreak havoc” for everyone.
The transportation system, which faces a $5.2 billion deficit, proposed a series of possible fare hikes in early January that would potentially help alleviate the transit system’s debt.
The MBTA started hosting public meetings in January to let Bostonians air their opinions about the topic, which will be decided on in July.
The protesters assembled said the proposed measures would be especially detrimental to specific segments of Boston residents.
Sarah Horsley, the civic engagement director of the Fenway Community Development Corporation, rallied with others from FCDC, urging the MBTA not to eliminate the 55 Bus, a crucial bus for seniors and people with disabilities.
“The fare increase and service cuts will disproportionately affect seniors and people with disabilities,” Horsley said. “We’re calling for the government to work together for a long term funding situation . . . There are other funding sources they can look into, like raising the gas tax.”
Some protesters said the fare hikes would place a disproportionate burden on lower class T riders.
The MBTA’s proposals would pit “the urban versus the suburban,” said one Boston-area Youth Organizing Project protester who identified himself as “Light.” He called the proposed fare hikes “racist” measures.
The fare hikes, Light said, would also impact students. He said he suggested a “youth pass” instead, a program that would allow students to be able to ride at a cheap, unlimited rate with one monthly fare.
“It will be $10.50 a day just to get to school and back, and no one really has that kind of money,” Light said. “Why are we paying for something we did not cause?”
A protester from Waldman, who asked to remain anonymous, said the scenarios the MBTA suggested would be “devastating” for residents.
“I ride the T ever day. Public transit runs my life,” he said. “My concerns are with the other people it will hit the most, it’s going to hurt a lot of people.”
After the MBTA’s public hearing, citizens voiced their objections to the MBTA’s deficit-reduction plans.
Audience members were given a number that would allow them to come up to the microphone and speak to the MBTA representatives on stage.
Lilly Jacobson, a community-planning associate at the FCDC, said the proposed scenarios, which would raise fares by either 35 or 43 percent, are unacceptable.
“We need to find solutions that do not punish T riders and tap into sustainable ways to fund the T,” she said.
Allison Casey, a senior at the Muriel S. Snowden International School, said the MBTA needed to cater to customers as well.
“The students can barely afford the student pass already,” Casey said. “The Boston youth will fight you all the way to the bank.”
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