[Street] MBTA fare and Service Changes
Eli Cohen
elcoh002 at mail.goucher.edu
Wed Jan 11 14:00:49 EST 2012
Love ya Joe, but you've been beaten to the
punch<http://www.facebook.com/AgainstTCuts?ref=ts>on Facebook. They've
already got plenty of good information and a couple
hundred members. Good thought, but we should probably unite under that
banner.
Full link: http://www.facebook.com/AgainstTCuts?ref=ts
On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 1:52 PM, Joseph Ramsey <jgramsey at gmail.com> wrote:
> I concur with Eli's description of last night's Occupy the T meeting.
>
> Just thought I would add three quick bits:
>
> 1) The link to the actual "Charlie on the MTA" song:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VMSGrY-IlU
>
> 2) I have started a (barebones) "Occupy the T" facebook group:
> http://www.facebook.com/events/167467446688614/?ref=ts#!/groups/272675306130545/
> Eli, would you like to be added as an administrator for this group?
> Please join it folks!
>
> 3) I want to echo Eli's point about the symbollic connection between the
> percentage of T revenue going to big banks (specifically: J.P
> Morgan/Chase-Manhattan, Morgan Stanley, DeutscheBank, and UBS) to pay
> interest on debt, and the actual t fare cost. If we could force these banks
> to eat the debt, and get the state to step in to subsidize, we could
> honestly call for free public transit in the city. This, as Eli points
> out, would be not only a pocketbook victory for working people, but a major
> symbollic and material environmental and public health victory as well.
>
> That and the irony of the song's victim being the icon of the Charlie card
> makes "Free Charlie!" almost too perfect as a potential slogan.
> -Joe
> On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 1:35 PM, Eli Cohen <elcoh002 at mail.goucher.edu>wrote:
>
>> The sense I got from last night was that it is a fair assessment. The
>> debt is primarily from the Big Dig, so there is also an equity issue. They
>> essentially forced T riders to subsidize the Big Dig which primarily
>> benefited drivers. Most of the environmental economists and activists I've
>> talked to have said that things should work the other way around; we should
>> be paying for public transit through a carbon tax, congestion charge, or
>> something else like that.
>>
>> As promised, a few messaging and action items that were brought up last
>> night:
>> - There were about 25 people there, with about half identifying
>> themselves primarily as Occupiers. There were several (awesome) folks from
>> the Center for Teen Empowerment who hosted this, and a couple local labor
>> and community organizers (one from Somerville Community Corporation. The
>> meeting focused mostly on Somerville, but with the recognition that we
>> should be allying with groups all over the Greater Boston Area.
>> - We mostly brainstormed; no specific actions were planned, in part
>> because we wanted to wait until after Thursday's meeting hosted by the T
>> Riders Union. We do have ideas:
>> - We could gather small groups to mic-check or hand out information on
>> the T, particularly on the bus routes that are going to be cut.
>> - Fun fact: 30% of T's budget comes from fares (the rest comes from the
>> state). Also, 30% of the budget is tied up in paying off interest on loans.
>> That means that if the bank forgave the MBTA's loans, that money would be
>> enough to maintain current service levels and have *no fares* (i.e. free
>> public transit). Something to think about.
>> - One participant suggested we use the above fun fact to frame a "free
>> Charlie" campaign. The irony hit me last night that "Charlie<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.T.A.>"
>> (from the CharlieCard and CharlieTicket) is based on a song written to
>> oppose fare hikes.
>>
>> There's probably much more to be said, but I'll wait until after tomorrow
>> night's meeting with the T Rider's Union when we hopefully have the
>> beginning of an action plan. In the meantime, if anyone wants to start
>> putting together quarter-sheets and other informational materials, I'm sure
>> they'll come in handy in the long run.
>>
>> -Eli
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 10:04 PM, Reed <fb at occupyboston.org> wrote:
>>
>>> It's likely that everybody on the list has read "Born Broke", the MBTA
>>> Advisory Board's run-down of the MBTA funding situation, but
>>> in case anybody hasn't and is interested it's enlightening:
>>>
>>> http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/Documents/Financials/Born_Broke.pdf
>>>
>>> It gives more detail on the Forward Funding arrangement initiated in
>>> 2000 which earmarked 20% of state sales tax revenue and transferred
>>> $3.3 billion in state debt to the MBTA and concludes:
>>>
>>> "The fairest, most equitable and fiscally
>>> prudent step the Commonwealth could
>>> take to make the T whole for next year
>>> and for years to come would be to take
>>> back its $3.3 billion in debt. Such an
>>> action would save the MBTA hundreds
>>> of millions of dollars in annual debt
>>> service costs and free up financial
>>> resources to operate the system and
>>> reduce the backlog of maintenance
>>> needs. Most importantly, it would make
>>> the T whole in FY10 and for many,
>>> years to come."
>>>
>>> The document says that about half of the MBTA's projected deficits
>>> can be attributed to "increased debt service payments".
>>>
>>> Can anybody speak to this? Is it an accurate, honest assessment?
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> R.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 01:56:09AM +0000, Nicole Sullivan wrote:
>>> > Thanks for posting it! I was working on a spreadsheet with this info
>>> before the GA clusterfuck and then it kind of fell by the wayside.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>>> >
>>> > -----Original Message-----
>>> > From: Eli Cohen <elcoh002 at mail.goucher.edu>
>>> > Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:52:02
>>> > To: <lindajenkins177 at yahoo.com>
>>> > Cc: <street at lists.occupyboston.org>
>>> > Subject: Re: [Street] MBTA fare and Service Changes
>>> >
>>> > The info Daniel shared came from the MBTA's informational packet,
>>> which can be found here:
>>> >
>>> > http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/?id=23567
>>> >
>>> > It includes the history, their reasoning for the cuts/fare hikes, the
>>> details of the two proposals, and the list of community meeting
>>> dates/locations. Worth thumbing through, and basically lays out the
>>> information in as succinct a way as you can, with that many numbers to deal
>>> with. I may not like what the MBTA is doing, but props to whoever they
>>> hired to do brochure layout :-)
>>> >
>>> > For those of you not interested in the details, the big picture is
>>> this: "proposal 1" has more fare increases and less service cuts, "proposal
>>> 2" has more service cuts and less fare increases. They're giving us the
>>> illusion of choice by letting the public choose which terrible option is
>>> less terrible, but from what I heard at tonight's meeting in Somerville,
>>> our message is "none of the above." More detailed report-back on that later.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 6:18 PM, Linda Jenkins <
>>> lindajenkins177 at yahoo.com <mailto:lindajenkins177 at yahoo.com> > wrote:
>>> > Very helpful-and not a little frightening, actually.
>>> > Linda
>>> >
>>> > Sent on the fly.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Jan 10, 2012, at 5:24 PM, Daniel Mc <danielm at occupyboston.org<mailto:
>>> danielm at occupyboston.org> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > Hi All,
>>> > >
>>> > > Wanted to send this along so we have a better understanding of what
>>> the MBTA itself will be doing in the coming weeks.
>>> > >
>>> > > It would be great to have a presence at the public hearings that
>>> they hold and also to better educate ourselves on exactly what is being
>>> done. Some info below.
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > Best,
>>> > > --
>>> > > Daniel.
>>> > > Occupy Boston Outreach Committee
>>> > > **Use this email for all things occupy**
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > ----- Forwarded message from maochoa99 at yahoo.com <mailto:
>>> maochoa99 at yahoo.com> -----
>>> > > Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2012 11:08:48 -0800 (PST)
>>> > > From: Michael Ochoa <maochoa99 at yahoo.com <mailto:
>>> maochoa99 at yahoo.com> >
>>> > > Reply-To: Michael Ochoa <maochoa99 at yahoo.com <mailto:
>>> maochoa99 at yahoo.com> >
>>> > > Subject: MBTA fare and Service Changes
>>> > > To: "danielm at occupyboston.org <mailto:danielm at occupyboston.org>
>>> " <danielm at occupyboston.org <mailto:danielm at occupyboston.org> >
>>> > >
>>> > > The T will conduct over 20 public hearings on fare hike proposals.
>>> > >
>>> > > Proposed fares based on type of pass (Type;proposed;current;%change)
>>> > > Local Bus $55.00 $40.00 37.5%
>>> > > LinkPass $80.00 $59.00 35.6%
>>> > > Senior/TAP LinkPass $40.00 $20.00 100.0%
>>> > > Student LinkPass $40.00 $20.00 100.0%
>>> > > 1-Day LinkPass $12.00 $9.00 33.3%
>>> > > 7-Day LinkPass $20.00 $15.00 33.3%
>>> > > Inner Express $127.00 $89.00 42.7%
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > Proposal 2:Local Bus $2.00 $1.50 33.3%
>>> > > Rapid Transit $3.00 $2.00 50.0%
>>> > > Inner Express Bus $4.50 $3.50 28.6%
>>> > > Outer Express Bus N/A $5.00 N/A
>>> > >
>>> > > Public Meetings in Greater Boston:
>>> > >
>>> > > January 17, Tuesday Newton 5:30-7:30 PM Newton City Hall 1000
>>> Commonwealth Avenue
>>> > > January 18, Wednesday Chelsea 6:00-8:00 PM Public Library,
>>> Auditorium 569 Broadway
>>> > > January 19, Thursday Boston (Roxbury) 6:00-8:00 PM Roxbury
>>> Community College Auditorium
>>> > > 1234 Columbus Avenue
>>> > >
>>> > > January 23, Monday Boston 1:00-3:00 PM
>>> > > 4:30-6:30 PM Transportation Building, Floor 2 Conference Rooms 2, 3
>>> 10 Park Plaza
>>> > >
>>> > > January 31, Tuesday Boston (Mattapan) 6:00-8:00 PM Mildred Avenue
>>> Community Center 5 Mildred Avenue
>>> > >
>>> > > February 1, Wednesday Jamaica Plain 6:00-8:00 PM Hennigan
>>> Community Center, Cafeteria
>>> > > 200 Heath Street
>>> > > February 2, Thursday Boston (Dorchester) 1:00-3:00 PM and
>>> > > 6:00-8:00 PM Dorchester House Multi-Service Center 1353 Dorchester
>>> Avenue
>>> > >
>>> > > February 7, Tuesday Lynn 6:00-8:00 PM City Council Chambers 3
>>> City Hall Square
>>> > >
>>> > > February 8, Wednesday Boston (West End) 4:30-6:30 PM Shriners
>>> Hospital Auditorium 51 Blossom Street
>>> > > February 13, Monday Boston (South Station area) 6:00-8:00 PM
>>> Boston Public Library Boston Room
>>> > > 700 Boylston Street
>>> > >
>>> > > February 15, Wednesday Quincy 6:00-8:00 PM Thomas Crane Public
>>> Library 40 Washington Street
>>> > > February 16, Thursday Malden 6:00-8:00 PM City Council Chambers
>>> 200 Pleasant Street
>>> > > February 28, Tuesday Somerville 6:00-8:00 PM High School
>>> Auditorium 81 Highland Avenue
>>> > > February 29, Wednesday Cambridge 6:00-8:00 PM Citywide Senior
>>> Center
>>> > > 806 Massachusetts Avenue
>>> > >
>>> > > March 1, Thursday Waltham 6:00-8:00 PM Government Center
>>> Auditorium
>>> > > 119 School Street
>>> > >
>>> > > Causes according to MBTA:The Authority's operating costs for
>>> energy, fuel, and health care have continued to rise, and costs for THE
>>> RIDE service have
>>> > > grown by nearly 400% over the last decade. While THE RIDE's
>>> operating costs have increased over the past 10 years, the
>>> > > primary cost increase has been due to exponential growth in
>>> ridership on that service.
>>> > >
>>> > > 2. The T is financially burdened with principal and interest
>>> payments on $5.2 billion in debt that consume nearly 30% of its annual
>>> > > operating budget.
>>> > >
>>> > > 3. Since 2000, the T's primary source of funding (a 20% share of
>>> statewide sales tax receipts) has not produced the steadily
>>> > > increasing revenue stream originally projected.
>>> > >
>>> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> > > _______________________________________________
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>>
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>
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