As of last week, T riders at above-ground stations on the Green Line’s D-Branch will only be allowed to board the T at the front door during weekends, holidays and off-peak hours, according to a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority press release.
Peak hours occur between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and between 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., according to the release. During off-peak hours, which constitute about 65 percent of weekday run time, D-Branch T riders will have to board at the front of the train.
The move comes as a part of the MBTA’s recent general attempts to crack down on fare evasion, an illegal act that results in an estimated $5 million annual revenue loss, according to an MBTA report.
T riders caught who get on board without paying, or attempting to ride without paying, can receive criminal citations and may be forced to pay fees of $15 the first time, $100 the second time and $250 the third time, according to Massachusetts’s General Laws.
Since 2011, the transit system has been conducting fare blitzes monthly, posting MBTA officials on platforms and requiring that customers pay for their rides before trains even arrive at the stop, according to the release.
The MBTA will continue conducting fare blitzes in addition to enforcing the new D-Branch boarding policies, which some Boston University students said will make riding the T more of an ordeal.
“The T is so overcrowded during some periods that it will be miserable to have to use only the front door,” said School of Management junior Ben Boyd.
Boyd said, however, that from what he has experienced, the T tends to approach fare evasion with a heavy hand.
“One time I actually saw the Transit Police pull up next to the car and detain somebody for not paying their fare,” he said. “The T doesn’t hesitate to enforce its policies.”
Brittany Jacobsen, a College of General Studies sophomore, said she might welcome the new boarding policy for the D-Branch.
“I have seen so many people get on the back doors without paying their fare,” she said. “It’s really annoying because I pay my fare and they don’t.”
The MBTA will continue to deal with fare evasion despite its recent efforts, said College of Arts and Sciences freshman Sam Worley.
“I don’t think there is any way to completely stop the problem,” Worley said. “If somebody needs to ride the T, but can’t afford it, they are going to find a way on regardless.”
He said the new rules may have come in response to the T’s $161 million operating deficit.
“This new policy is obviously a way to try and narrow the gap,” he said. “Increasing fines and fares doesn’t accomplish this goal without upsetting a few people.”
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Wow, the D line is going to take forever now. If they *ever* adopt this policy on the B line, it’ll be a disaster. Nobody will want to “move to the back of the train” when just a few stops later they’ll have to push their way *all the way* back to the front in order to get off. Now when people are glutting the front of the first car, it’s due to rudeness or obliviousness. But if all the doors don’t open, those numbers will multiply tenfold out of simple necessity. How long is *that* ride going to take?