Advocates want governor, Legislature to treat T problems like 10-out-of-10 crisis
In the meantime, Catherine Gleason, Public Policy Manager at LivableStreets Alliance, wants the T to offer fare-free days or discounted fares to riders who have to endure the longer wait times and safety concerns.
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Low-income fare for T riders could bring much-needed relief to poor squeezed by inflation
Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group, said low-income fares aim to keep money in the pockets of people who need it most, and eliminating bus fares can boost ridership and make service more reliable by reducing the time it takes people to board.
Read moreMBTA: Investigation ongoing, driver ‘re-trained’ after slow speed accident on Green Line in June
Transit passenger advocate Stacy Thompson puts the blame squarely on the Baker Administration for underfunding operating costs at the T for years.
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T says it’s making progress on safety, fixing failures found by feds
While riders are enduring reduced service and longer waits for trains, Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group, said the T should be offering discounted fares and fare-free days, as well as increased commuter rail and ferry service.
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‘Brutal' Wait Times Continue as MBTA Deals With Staffing Issues
Stacy Thompson, a transit advocate with LivableStreets, said she understands the process takes time, but she wishes the MBTA would be more transparent with the public about the hiring process and invest more into it going forward.
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Boston Public Radio full show: July 8, 2022
Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson talked about the state of the MBTA: recent derailments, budget concerns and sources of political inaction, as well as Boston’s upcoming open street days and bike lane controversy. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets.
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The MBTA lowered its reduced fare prices, but some say it’s still not enough
“This is good,” Thompson said, “but it’s not nearly enough to meet the demands of people who increasingly can’t afford to ride a system that is also experiencing service cuts right now.”
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In 2015, Baker leaned in to T oversight. This crisis, his public response seems more arm’s length.
“He didn’t in 2015 blame the weather, he said the weather illuminated a longstanding problem I’m going to fix,” she said. “Now he’s blaming the pandemic [for staffing shortages]. If he cared about this transit system, he would be rolling up his sleeves and doing everything he could to fix the problem before the next governor comes in.”
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Transit Advocate Addresses Latest Issue Plaguing MBTA: ‘It Is Frustrating'
Stacy Thompson, with LivableStreets Alliance, says the T is being overly cautious in this case, taking all of the new Orange and Red line trains off the tracks due to a battery issue.
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Can $400 million fix MBTA safety issues? Transportation advocates look at how that money could be spent
“The FTA actually called out explicitly in their preliminary reports that there has been an over-focus on capital and there has been a lack of focus on operating,” Thompson told MassLive. “And so there is nothing wrong with the $400 million, it’s a good investment, but it is not actually meaningfully or directly addressing any of the four recommendations that the FTA laid out. That is an operating question.”
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