As the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority considers cutting its late-night service due to low ridership and high operating costs, Boston University students express concern to the late-night service’s potential restriction. Cutting late-night service aims to reduce the system’s $242 million deficit, according to a statement released earlier this month.
MBTA officials will continue to hold public meetings through January and February for residents to offer comments and consideration in regard to curtailing the service cuts. The meetings will also discuss the system’s “current usage, the budget and closure dates, and to invite public input on designing future late-night service,” according to the Jan. 8 release.
The MBTA’s late-night service was introduced in March 2014 as a pilot program that lengthened train and popular bus services on Friday and Saturday nights by 90 minutes, cited in the release. In June 2015, the MBTA revised its late-night schedule, which required the last trains on Friday and Saturday nights to depart downtown stations at approximately 2 a.m., according to the MBTA website. The five least productive late-night bus routes were also eliminated from the late-night service program.
If the MBTA decides to officially cut its late-night service, several BU students said they would be disappointed by the decision, as late-night service has provided them a safe and reliable way to get home after a long night off campus.
Francesca Ogilvie, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said the T is especially important in the winter when harsh weather keeps residents from walking around.
“I’ve been lost late at night and the T was the only way to get home,” she said. “I know people who plan their nights around the late-night service because getting an Uber is expensive. [Cutting service] will take away possibilities for going out at night, especially now that it is cold and you can’t walk around.”
College students who rely on the cheap, reliable method to get home would be the most affected by the cuts, Lorenzo Tomiello, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
“As college students we rely on the late-night service,” he said. “Midnight is too early, they should only cut some buses or trains. We don’t want to take taxis at night because it doesn’t feel safe.”
Some students said they don’t see the value in the late-night service due to the T’s preexisting service issues that includes shaky schedule adherence and high maintenance costs.
Hayley Mandelberg, a freshman in CAS, said she wouldn’t be affected because she doesn’t rely on the T because it is already plagued with issues that keep it from being reliable.
“I don’t depend on the T to get around because it’s always crowded or [it] takes forever,” she said. “It’s not cheap and I couldn’t use it very often because it’s always late so I can’t plan on it to get anywhere.”
Samantha Faden, a freshman in CGS, said the program is not purposeful enough to justify the strain it puts on the MBTA budget.
“If it costs that much, I don’t think they should be running it that late,” she said. “Anyway, it’s sometimes creepy in the stations and on the train at night, but not bad if you’re with people. A lot of people like families or people who don’t want to be on the T alone wouldn’t use it at night.”
Some students said despite the T’s issues, it shouldn’t leave its riders completely out in the cold late at night.
Dan Figueira, a sophomore in CAS, said the T is a precious resource for getting around town, and if any cuts are made, they should be gradual.
“Even if people don’t use it frequently, it’s very valuable,” he said. “It’s just like insurance — it’s better to have it just in case. They could cut it back seasonally. Specifically, during the summer, especially since this is a college city and most students aren’t here for summer.”
Mona Zayed, also a sophomore in CAS, said she understands the reason behind the cutting, but the MBTA should consider the needs of its riders, especially in winter.
“They should keep [late-night service] during the winter,” she said. “The service can run less, but just be there in case. It’s like security — they should make sure it’s there for everyone to have, just in case.”
Nicole Mis contributed to the reporting of this article.
