Below is the full transcript of the public comment our Executive Director, Jarred Johnson, wished to present to the MBTA Board on March 28, 2024:
“Madam Secretary, Chair Glynn, General Manager, members of the board and staff. Thank you.
I would like to echo the support for low-income fares. I'm excited to see this program increase access, change lives, and save riders and the Commonwealth money. I hope the agency can find a way to lower premium fares for the Ride. I also want the agency to advocate for long-term funding solutions for low-income fares and the Ride.
I would also like to address the diversions from a communications and mitigation standpoint. The time savings are meaningful and I appreciate the aggressiveness of the schedule. However, we are still not where we need to be with reaching passengers, such that municipalities are supplementing these efforts. It's not even possible to find the schedule online without downloading a PDF.
It is far more important that riders get information sooner than to wait for every “I” to be dotted and “T” crossed. Get information out sooner. The communication and mitigation must improve so the T can break the unvirtuous cycle of lack of information and poor diversion experience, leading folks to drive, and adding to congestion that slows down buses. Ridership must increase and we can't wait for December to see that increase.
To that end, service must be the next priority: from dropped bus trips to the abysmal headway management of the Green Line. Managers need to face accountability for poor service, and staff members need the support and flexibility to have the right incentives to keep better headways and have more realistic schedules. This is an opportunity for the T to be a solution for our growing traffic problems.
Finally, I want to commend the agency and Keolis for the movement on Regional Rail. The proposed Fairmount Line pilot is a huge first step towards electrification and allows us to test technological solutions that can inform the final plan. We look forward to advancing the proposal or evaluating others. Thank you.”