July 23, 2011
by Richard Weir, Boston Herald

How do you make a T rider really hot under the collar? Combine 100 degree temperatures with talk of a potential fare hike.

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Stuart Spina, chairman of the T Riders Union, warned that a fare hike without system improvements could turn away customers already fed-up with frequent service interruptions from old equipment prone to breaking down.

“You’re almost shooting yourself in the foot,” he said. “It’s been five years worth of delays because of mechanical breakdowns.  . . . A lot of riders would feel like, ‘I’m not getting my money’s worth. Why am I paying more for this?’ ”

“This year we closed the budget without raising fares or cutting service, but next year’s deficit looks worse,” T General Manager Richard Davey said. “We’re the only major transit agency in America that has not raised its fares in the last five fiscal years. That’s why it’s prudent for us to put (a fare increase), among other measures, on the table to close that budget gap for next year.”

The T last raised its rates by 24 to 30 percent in January 2007, when it boosted CharlieCard bus fares from 90 cents to $1.25 and subway fares from $1.25 to $1.70. Another proposed fare hike in 2009 was nixed.

If the fare increases are proposed, the MBTA, which has among the lowest bus and subway fares in the country, would likely hold public hearings early next year.

[...]

Not all T riders are averse to paying a little more.

“As long we can see some improvements,” said Chris Flagg, 25, of Malden. “I’d like to see some return on the investment.”

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