Raise MBTA Service Quality, Revenue & Ridership, Not Fares

The MBTA Fiscal & Management Control Board has proposed increasing fares. Two members argued for special low-income fares. The concept of free/discounted fares for low-income riders sounds good but there are very serious risks in creating a two-tier transit system by raising fees for everyone else. As noted by former Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, creating a non-egalitarian system goes against our values and is counterproductive because:

1. Means testing makes fare increases seem more palatable by removing the most common objection (impacts to poor people), thus removing a check on rapidly rising fees.

2. A two-tier fare system reinforces the idea of transit as a welfare program for poor people; it creates an "us versus them" mentality which amplifies false stereotypes about "lazy, selfish, greedy" poor people.

3. Many riders have options. Without a similar increase in the cost of driving cars or using taxis, people who have other options will choose to drive or take a taxi, car service or private transit (such as Bridj). The result is a death spiral of lower ridership and higher fares, until the system collapses.

4. Transit does not operate in a vacuum. As the costs of housing, food, daycare and other necessities continue to rise, people are being forced to move far outside the city where transit access is poor. Once you have access to a car, it is a sunk cost: in other words, you have already paid most of the costs (purchase, insurance, registration, parking). So you’ll be likely to drive it even when you could use transit (ex. grocery shopping) because each trip is basically free. The cost of the gas required to drive to a place with free or cheap parking is far less than a round-trip bus fare.

5. With fewer T riders and more cars on our streets, traffic congestion worsens, impacting bus travel times and reliability of connections, and raising operating costs (paying a driver to sit in traffic) far more than a fare increase could expect to bring in.

When looking at high-cost services, it is much more sensible to figure out why services are expensive and/or attract low ridership. Many routes do not serve their users and communities well. Service quality improvements such as on-time performance, coordinated connections, longer service hours and higher frequency would go a long way toward increasing ridership and revenue, along with outreach and marketing of these improvements.

It is critical that, rather than increasing fares, we redesign the fare structure and policy to make our services easy to use, offer an unlimited 2-hour transfer to permit trips requiring more than one connection, integrate and adjust Commuter Rail fares (for example, charging the subway fare at inner stations like Hyde Park & Lynn would relieve pressure on expensive, overcrowded bus lines. Implementing a system of off-board fare payment (pay before boarding) would dramatically reduce bus dwell times and reduce operating costs.

Passengers line up to board Route 42 at Dudley Station, increasing operating costs.

Finally, it is unacceptable to ask public transportation users — those who are doing their part to achieve the MassDOT mode shift and greenhouse gas reduction goals, as well as the Vision Zero initiative — to pay higher fees without real service improvements that enhance their quality of life and increase opportunities. Rather than blanket fee increases, the fare structure and policy needs to be rationalized so that the diverse mix of services works efficiently and effectively and does not place add a barrier or disincentive to transit use.

While a fare increase might optimistically raise $23 million, it would not come close to addressing the MBTA budget deficit for FY2017 (currently cited at $242 million), and would pale in comparison to the improvement recommended above. We should also point out that while fares should be collected on all modes, some level of fare evasion is normal for transit services and efforts to collect every last fare experience diminishing returns. Similarly, as the Frontier Group and T4MA point out, cutting transit service doesn't save as much as the FMCB suggests.

If fares do increase along with the improvements recommended above, we would support either a state-subsidized income-based refundable tax credit or distributing free/discounted passes through social service agencies (such as WIC and MassHealth) to offset the burden somewhat. Revenue should not come from the T budget, however, and MassDOT should stay out of the business of administration. While the maximum allowable fare increase is 5 percent at this time, keep in mind that wages are declining, inflation is currently near zero percent, and Governor Baker promised that neither taxes nor fees would rise under his administration.

Podcast 20 - Advocacy Updates: Fares, Late Night Service, Commuter Rail, GLX and Service Planning to make the MBTA network more effective

This show is focused on MBTA advocacy, with the full crew sharing our thoughts on some of the things in the media lately, and which we've been working on.

Fare increases are proposed again despite the absence of a vision for upgrading and growing our network. It's hard to ask people for more money without real improvements. Some say we should give discounts to low-income riders and raise fares for everyone else. We explore why a two-tier transit system is a terrible idea that will lead to a death spiral and actually impact the poorest riders most. Also, if a transit fare is not a tax, is it a fee?

The MBTA board (FMCB) has proposed eliminating up to 28 bus routes, largely without any analysis of what these routes do or how they operate.  A better approach is to figure out why some routes are expensive and/or attract low ridership, such as poor service quality (on-time performance, frequency, connections) and many seem to be designed to fail. The existing late night service is one example, but rather than get rid of it, service should be vastly improved and expanded to full overnight service (don't forget the early morning needs!). Commuter rail come up too.

We talk about the importance of good service planning, the different levels of planning, and how we can not only make small routine changes but also design a better network. Aside from service cuts, no routes have changed since 2008 and a comprehensive review has never been done, even though travel patterns have changed a lot since the 1964 creation of MBTA. Most routes do not meet basic service standards like crowding and on-time performance. How can we plan for upgrades?

The Green Line Extension is way over budget and horribly mismanaged, largely due to schedule pressures, not enough MBTA staff to oversee this massive project (due to austerity) and as a result contractors scamming the T. Are we learning the lessons as the FMCB looks to cut the budget even more? We explain the importance of carrying out the GLX plan which was approved through an extensive public process, and how proposed project reductions would actually cause us to spend more in operating costs to run the line.

The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews with transit advocates and more. By offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates and promoting a level of critical analysis normally absent from other media, we can achieve a useful and effective transportation network.

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Come to our next Beer & Transit on Thursday Dec 10. We'll have an update and discussion with Transportation for Massachusetts about transit policy issues and their current efforts.

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Major changes coming to Commuter Rail schedules

Image via Flickr

We recently learned of major schedule changes coming to the Commuter Rail, including service reductions on several lines leaving long gaps between trains. The new schedules, effective Dec 14, were designed without any public consultation. If you have feedback on the changes please contact the MBTA and your elected officials.

UPDATE: Schedule changes have been postponed, with new schedules to be planned for the spring. We'll be working with the MBTA and Keolis in this process.

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Transit Matters believes a frequent, reliable and comprehensive regional rail network is an essential component of a transportation system that provides access and opportunity. The current Commuter Rail system falls far short, so we sent the following letter to the MBTA, MassDOT and others asking for the changes to be postponed until they begin a public process.

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We are writing to express concerns about the recently announced schedule changes on several Commuter Rail lines set to take effect December 14. Many of the changes, including service reductions of up to 33 percent in some places, would be considered “major” changes requiring public involvement under the MBTA Service Delivery Policy, yet neither the advocacy community nor any riders were consulted.

We ask that the board postpone implementation of the new schedules until a public process can bring together the MBTA, transit advocates, riders and Keolis to identify alternative solutions. As with other services, we would be happy to work with you to make service more efficient and effective, if we are given the opportunity to be involved.

While schedule changes may seem minor in the context of frequent local bus service, the limited frequency of Commuter Rail service forces riders to become dependent (and arrange their work and lifestyles around) a specific departure time. Even a 20-minute adjustment can create an extreme hardship for riders with inflexible schedules and potentially add thousands more cars to our streets and highways. This is inconsistent with the MassDOT Mode Shift Goal and would begin a death spiral of declining ridership justifying service cuts which prompt a further ridership drop, until service no longer functions.

We are troubled by the narrow focus on rush hours only, with the implication that every transit rider either works 9-5 or can tailor their life to the Commuter Rail schedule. While the new operation plan increases the number of trains arriving or departing during the “peak of the peak” periods (about 7-9am and 4-6pm), it reduces the number of trains at other times and creates gaps of up to two hours in the “shoulder” periods just before and after the rush hours, limited or preventing people from doing such basic daily activities are dropping children at school or meeting a friend after work.

Impacts of schedule changes on the greater network of connecting RTA and MBTA bus services, private shuttles, and institutional/shift times also do not appear to have been considered. Many transit and shuttle operators are unable to changes their own schedules on such short notice.

Short trips are heavily impacted by these schedule changes. While faster service from outlying communities is a good goal, reducing service to inner communities such as Waltham, Lynn and Chelsea creates severe hardships and forces many more people onto already overcrowded bus routes such as the 70, 111 and 450. Rather than focusing solely on longer, more expensive service, we should embrace opportunities to add short trips to attract people currently using overcrowded bus routes (due to limited CR frequency and higher fares), potentially saving money now spent on those bus routes and improving their reliability.

We believe the Commuter Rail has tremendous potential to grow and modernize to serve the surging demand from current and potential transit users, which would trigger a significant increase in ridership, including from those who would not use buses. Evening and weekend ridership is limited largely because the service is infrequent and does not run early or late enough. Many of us routinely find that we cannot access opportunities around the region because service is so infrequent (and the service span too short) and often uncoordinated with any other mode, including local RTA bus service.

Unfortunately the midday, evening and weekend service remains infrequent, starts too late and ends too early, despite what has been described as a comprehensive overhaul. As with the peak shoulder periods, the gaps between trains are too long, and even our own members report missing educational and social opportunities due to the train schedule not running close enough to their activities (especially in poor weather). The end result of this is people choose to drive instead, adding thousands of additional cars to our streets and highways each day, degrading safety and quality of life for everyone.

In summary, in order to make the Commuter Rail a viable option for regional transportation and shift people from cars to transit, we must operate hourly service at all times. More frequent service provides relative freedom of mobility and offers a real alternative to traffic congestion. This is why fleet expansion, the North South Rail Link and the purchase of more efficient trains (diesel multiple units and/or electrification) are essential to our region’s health. We are open to exploring more cost effective ways to do this, such as purchasing more efficient equipment, running coach buses instead of trains at certain times. Improvements to the user experience are critical, including fare policy changes, high-level platforms, use of the full train, clear boarding procedures and accessible trains/stations, but the most important priority for the Commuter Rail is frequency.

We recognize Commuter Rail is expensive to operate and funding is scarce, but like late night service, our commuter rail network is an example of service that is important to many people who seldom or never use it, representing a comprehensive network of mobility options. Off-peak commuter rail (and suburban express bus) ridership is highly variable and includes many people who use it infrequently yet rely on having transit available at all times, so they are not left stranded if their plans change (or have to buy and a car and create more traffic). Thus simple measures of ridership and cost on specific trips do not accurately represent their impact. Commuter rail is a service that we have chosen to provide as a matter of policy, because it supports our regional transportation and equity goals.

Again, we ask you to delay the planned schedule changes, except for the minor increases planned for the Fitchburg Line. Additionally, we request to meet with the MBTA and Keolis and form a collaborative relationship so that together we can identify solutions to operational challenges while improving service for everyone.

Thank you for your time and support of effective public transportation. We look forward to hearing from you to setup a meeting.