Photo: MassDOT
June 28, 2019 (BOSTON, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation issued the following statement today ahead of planned MBTA fare hikes taking effect on Monday.
“It’s simply insensitive and unfair to ask riders to pay more while the Red Line struggles to get people to and from their jobs,” said Staci Rubin, Senior Attorney at CLF. “The T clearly needs more funding and staffing, and some of those funds should come from predictable fare increases that do not disproportionately impact transit-dependent riders. However, this round of hikes should absolutely have been postponed at least through the summer.”
CLF has pushed for regular, predictable fare increases so officials can make necessary improvements in the MBTA system. The administration accepted CLF’s recommendation to skip fare hikes for bus riders, youth, and seniors this time around, as this would disproportionately affect transit-dependent riders who can least afford to pay more. All other fares on the subway and commuter rail will increase on Monday morning. Unfortunately, the decision-makers failed to remove the surcharge for bus and trolley riders paying in cash.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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