More than 100 protesters shouting “Free Charlie” crowded the hallways of Massachusetts State House chambers Wednesday as they decried the 23 percent fare hikes the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board officially approved.
Holding signs such as “Cut Carbon, Not the T,” the Occupy Boston working group Occupy the MBTA launched the beginning of what an Occupy Boston press release called a 10-day occupation called Camp Charlie.
During this time, Occupy the MBTA members will protest the fare hikes while encamped on the steps of the State House, according to the press release on the Occupy Boston website.
While describing the slogan of “Free Charlie,” Occupy Boston member Noah McKenna stood on a staircase of the State House and told the parabolic story of Charlie, a “normal, working class guy.”
While Charlie was on the T one day, fares rose and he was not allowed off the train until he agreed to pay the increased price, McKenna said.
“Public transportation is a right,” McKenna said. “There is no reason, in this country, with all this money around, that we should have people being cut off the map.”
McKenna said cutting lines and service from communities eliminates economic opportunities and social interaction.
The MBTA, which has an estimated $185 million budget gap, is putting the measures in place to cut the deficit.
“Under the proposal, MBTA will use a combination of administrative efficiencies, fare increases, service changes and one-time revenues to close the gap,” according to a press release on the MBTA website.
The changes follow “more than two months of public meetings where 6,000 customers weighed in on proposals,” according to the press release.
McKenna said the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation Chief Financial Officer Dana Levenson was privatizing public transportation.
Before working at MassDOT, Levenson was the chief financial officer for the City of Chicago.
“He’s responsible for the selling of parking garages in downtown Chicago,” McKenna said. “He was there when they made plans to sell off parking meters.”
After the meters were sold and privatized, the price rose from $2 to $6.50, McKenna said.
The new fare changes require $2 for a subway ride with a CharlieCard and $1.50 for a local bus ride. For students, a subway ride will be $1, and a bus ride will cost $.75.
Cat, a protester who asked to keep her last name anonymous, was involved in organizing against proposed public transportation cuts in her hometown of Somerville for five months.
The MBTA was proposing cutting five or six bus lines, Cat said.
Cat spoke of many necessary improvements to the MBTA, including better service, newer vehicles and service to more areas.
“Public transportation is necessary for a sustainable society,” she said. “Right now, we don’t even have public transportation that does a good job for the 20th century.”
MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said she strongly refutes comments regarding the MBTA’s own lack of outreach to the community.
“We had 31 meetings,” she said. “We invested thousands of dollars promoting these meetings.”
Rivera said the protesters have a right to voice their considerations and the MBTA does its best to listen.
“We firmly stand by the fact that we proposed a fair and equitable increase of 23 percent,” she said.
She said the MBTA is still looking for creative ways to fund the T with minimal negative effects on customers.
“This is not the end of our issues,” Rivera said. “We will be back here next year with the same problem.”
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