T refund not effective

A little more than four weeks after it introduced its Customer Bill of Rights refund program, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has declared the program a success because they have received few refund requests. Designed to demonstrate the MBTA’s commitment to quality service, the program promises to give riders a round-trip voucher if their train, trolley or bus if more than 30 minutes late. However, T rider advocates and customers have started to express their thoughts about the some of the program’s shortcomings.

The MBTA designed the program based on the assumption and expectation of poor service. Instead of guaranteeing excellent service, the MBTA is in effect apologizing for its poor service, being reactive instead of proactive in its approach. The Bill of Rights also hedges at the fact that the agency will continue to improve its service, but the refund program compensation narrowly focuses on the problems of the current service.

The MBTA’s program is also shortsighted because it does not take into consideration that free round-trip vouchers do not benefit customers who use weekly and monthly passes. The 250,000 pass users, nearly half of the city’s T riders, would not have any motivation to ask for these vouchers because they already have unlimited access to the T.

Guaranteeing improvements to the T would make service more attractive to commuters. Since one of the main reasons for having a public transit system is to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads, the MBTA should give potential customers a real incentive for using it. If commuters know that they will more than likely arrive to their destinations late by using the T, they will opt for alternate means of travel.

Instead of apologizing for its current service and making empty promises, the MBTA should focus on guaranteeing its commitment to providing quality service to its customers.