January 4, 2012
By Richard Weir, Boston Herald"

Ferry service would be abolished, weekday bus routes would be cut, and suburban sports fans would no longer be able to take the commuter rail to weekend games at Fenway or the Garden as part of service cuts and fare increases the MBTA unveiled yesterday in a bid to plug a $161 million deficit.

January 2, 2012
WBUR

The MBTA has proposed fare hikes as high as 43 percent as well as service reductions in an effort to close a projected $161 million budget gap for the 2013 fiscal year.

December 30, 2011
by Amanda Cedrone, Boston Globe Metro Desk

MBTA ridership averaged more than 1.3 million per weekday in November, the third straight month above 1.3 million, helping to make 2011 the T’s busiest year since 2008, officials said today.

December 24, 2011
By Bob Salsberg, Associated Press

BOSTON—Public transit in Massachusetts is facing a bumpy ride this coming year.

Difficult questions loom in 2012 for an aging, cash-strapped system that is moving record numbers of passengers on subways, buses and commuter trains, while also dealing with crippling debt and a maintenance backlog that could hinder its ability to maintain current operations and even slow the region's economic recovery.

December 8, 2011
by Steve Annear, Boston Metro

It may be almost impossible to avoid a fare increase on the MBTA, according to MassDOT Secretary Rich Davey.

December 8, 2011
by Richard Weir, Boston Herald

Advocates for bus and train riders are seeing red over the prospect of fare hikes and service reductions expected to be announced by the state’s transportation chief after the first of the year.

December 7, 2011
by State House News Service, Boston Herald

A group representing MBTA riders pleaded with state officials to eschew fare increases or service reductions, which they argued would be disproportionately borne by populations that can least afford them. “We’re not just talking about the issue of a fare increase. We are talking about much more. We are talking about people’s livelihood,” said Gwendolyn Vincent, a member of the T Riders Union, which represents riders of the MBTA’s subway and commuter rail network. “We’re talking about the elderly can’t afford it. We’re talking about students can’t afford it ... Let’s talk about the real issue here, let’s not play games," Vincent said during a meeting of the MassDOT board. Board members and MBTA officials did not directly address the riders’ concerns. During his monthly report to the board, MBTA Interim General Manager Jonathan Davis pledged to oversee an “open, transparent and public dialogue on any recommendations for a fare increase or service reductions.”

December 5, 2011
by Lauren Dezenski, The Daily Free Press

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is looking for the public’s input on its recently released plans to upgrade and modernize the transit system.

November 30, 2011
By Debbie Gardner, The Reminder

The recent state approval of yet another permit is not persuading members of Westfield Concerned Citizens (WCC) to give up their fight against a proposed gas fired power plant to be built in the city.

November 26, 2011
by Richard Weir, Boston Herald

Pickpockets, smartphone snatchers and bike thieves are driving a nearly 16 percent spike in railway robberies and other crimes on the MBTA this year, according to a Herald review that found train and bus riders clutching tighter to their purses and wallets, and top T cops vowing to crack down on the sticky-fingered goons.