Monthly T passes costing $10 sound may sound too good to be true for Boston University students, but at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a proposal for an obligatory T pass purchase has received a cool response from the community.
The proposal, in the works since last fall and devised by a MIT graduate student, would require all students and employees at MIT to pay about $10 per month for unlimited subway and bus service on the MBTA.
The grad student, Ursula Hester, who is now the Budget and Policy Analyst on the MBTA Advisory Board, originally proposed the concept for an “Unlimited Access Pass Program” as part of her Master’s thesis at MIT last fall. At the earliest, the program could be implemented in 2007, but Hester said the MBTA is “definitely interested.”
“I think it’s a great program,” Hester said. “I hope it will get moving as soon as possible.”
Although the MBTA will not be able to implement such a system in Boston until after it completes the switch to automatic fare collection in 2006, the proposal is already creating a stir among students who do not use public transportation, because they would still be required to pay the mandatory fee.
Web Lancaster, director of Parking Services at Boston University, said BU would look into implementing a similar program if it had success at MIT.
“We would look at any opportunity to grow the program and make it more convenient for the students,” he said.
Lancaster added that the semester T pass program at BU has grown from 700 subscribers to 5,500 over the last four years. T passes for BU students are discounted 11 percent, provided students by four monthyl passes in a package known as a “semester pass.” This deal costs about $44 per month, or about $156 for the semester.
“We’re absolutely committed to improving and growing,” he said. “We’ve streamlined this program significantly by putting it online.”
Regarding the possibility of a Universal Pass program at BU, Lancaster said, “I think it’s an interesting premise.”
Tom Fawcett, director of Business Affairs at BU, also attributed this growth to the program’s online accessibility.
“We’ve made it so darn easy,” he said.
Both Fawcett and Lancaster said BU is focused on making the semester pass program a single card system instead of requiring students to pick up a different card each month. When the MBTA implements an automatic fare collection system next year, BU will try to program Terrier Cards to swipe as T passes as well, they said.
Hester said she understands the negative reaction to the fee, but she argued that people who do not use public transit now may be more inclined to if they could get a cheaper pass so conveniently.
“If you think about what you’re actually getting for it, it’s an awesome deal,” she said. “You can’t beat it.”
Frederick Salvucci, senior lecturer at the Center for Transportation and Logistics at MIT, was Hester’s thesis advisor.
“This is more than just a thesis,” he said. “We’ve got to actually try to do it.”
Salvucci said it is reasonable to expect people who do not ride the T to pay “a very modest amount,” citing the numerous benefits for the environment and the university. He compared the price of four iced coffees to the price of a T pass for a month, arguing that it was a better deal than many people realize.
Salvucci served as Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation for three terms under former Gov. Michael Dukakis and as secretary of transportation for former Boston Mayor Kevin White in the 1970s.
“I think it’s a very good idea,” he said. “I wish it would happen sooner.”
MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera would not comment on the specific proposal but said automated fare collection “would make life much easier.”
Under Hester’s plan, MIT would pay little more than it already does for its semester T pass program. The university currently buys monthly passes from the MBTA and resells them to students at half price.
While MIT’s subsidies would remain roughly the same, the plan would benefit the MBTA by increasing revenue and ridership, Hester said.
As for MIT, Hester believes the program would save the university money because they would not have to worry about building more car parking spaces.
“Parking is only going to get more expensive in the future, and it’s extremely limited,” she said.
Salvucci agreed that the program would benefit students who normally drive and are facing rising parking costs.
“Every year there’s another building, and a parking lot disappears,” he said.
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