LAST FALL, the Baker administration achieved a major breakthrough on the $1.7 billion I-90 Allston project, embracing the idea of rebuilding the Turnpike, Soldiers Field Road, and commuter rail tracks […]
Tracking Transportation
Posted inTransportation
What’s better for T: No fares or low-income fare?
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu has captured the public’s attention with her push for fare-free buses and eventually a fare-free MBTA, but now an alternative approach to fares is emerging from […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker not satisfied with immigrant license bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER wouldn’t say on Thursday whether he intends to veto an immigrant license bill if it reaches his desk, but he appeared to dispute a lead sponsor’s contention […]
Posted inTransportation
Senator demands answers on Mattapan trolleys
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MILTON SENATOR wants legislators to wield their oversight authority and examine delays in upgrades to the MBTA’s Mattapan Line. Sen. Walt Timilty has asked the […]
Posted inTransportation
License bill heads to House floor on 14-3 vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT session, a legislative committee advanced legislation with 14 votes in favor that would allow undocumented immigrants to acquire driver’s licenses. This time, […]
Posted inTransportation
Let the MBTA plan its own future
LAST JUNE, at its last meeting, a bold vision for the future MBTA was laid out by the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB). The plan entitled “FMCB Productivity […]
Posted inTransportation
What passengers on the fare-free 28 bus have to say
BOSTON UNIVERSITY STATEHOUSE PROGRAM PASSENGERS ON the MBTA’s Route 28 bus say they enjoy the opportunity to ride for free under a pilot program greenlighted for two more years this […]
Posted inTransportation
What’s that new Red Line car saying?
ON TUESDAY MORNING, I boarded one of the new Red Line trains at Broadway and was still checking out all of its features when the car pulled into South Station. […]
Posted inTransportation
Mariano pushing driver’s license bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano intends next week to bring to the floor of the House a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA fare revenue trending higher than expected
MBTA FARE revenue so far this fiscal year is trending above the pessimistic forecast used to create the transit authority’s budget, but officials say the numbers remain highly variable. In […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA seeks to charge $3 for ‘new’ Charlie Cards
THE MBTA is seeking approval from its oversight board to charge riders $3 for newly designed Charlie Cards as part of the rollout of a new fare collection system. The […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu says 3-bus, fare free pilot to start next month
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu said the number of fare free buses operating in Boston will be expanded from one to three next month as part of a two-year, $8 million […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker sketches plan for $9.5b in fed infrastructure spending
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday laid out in broad strokes his plan for spending $9.5 billion in federal infrastructure money, which the state is expected to receive over the next […]
Posted inOpinion
Huge upside to new MBTA upzoning guidelines
IN THE 2021 Greater Boston Housing Report Card, the Boston Foundation highlighted how the pandemic has amplified what was already one of Greater Boston’s most pressing needs – adequate housing supply in […]
Posted inTransportation
T board blesses $500m transfer for capital programs
THE BOARD of the MBTA on Thursday endorsed a staff plan to transfer $500 million from the transit authority’s operating budget to its capital budget to move forward on a […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA ridership down sharply over last month
MBTA RIDERSHIP across all modes took a sharp tumble in January, reversing gains made slowly over the last 10 months. MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak called the decline significant, and […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA proposes narrowly targeted fare changes
THE MBTA and its new oversight board have shied away from broad discussions about eliminating fares or discounting fares for low-income riders, but on Thursday they set in motion an […]
Posted inOpinion
Pass the ACT rule, we need more electric trucks
SEVERAL STATES across the nation are on the verge of adopting life-saving policies that will help slash diesel truck pollution and pave the way for climate action and healthier communities. […]
Posted inTransportation
Poll: 79% back discounts for low-income T riders
A NEW STATEWIDE poll indicates overwhelming support for offering discounts to low-income riders on public transportation and strong but less support for eliminating fares all together. The poll of 1,026 […]
Posted inTransportation
Regional bus ridership down 52 percent from pre-pandemic levels
LIKE MANY TRANSIT systems nationwide, ridership on the state’s regional bus systems cratered during the early days of the pandemic. Ridership has rebounded at Regional Transit Authorities, according to a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins goes out with a bang — at MBTA
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Rachael Rollins said Thursday that her office would open an investigation into whether the MBTA bore any criminal responsibility for the Green […]
Posted inTransportation
FTA appears to greenlight Boston’s fare-free bus trial
THE FEDERAL TRANSIT Administration issued a statement on Monday suggesting the agency would have little problem with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s plan to launch a two-year experiment with fare-free buses […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker approves solar, truck emission initiatives
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE With two of its key climate change policies dead or near-dead, the Baker administration approved two initiatives last week to incentivize the development of solar power […]
Posted inTransportation
Boston, MBTA, FTA to meet on fare-free test
BOSTON, MBTA, and federal transportation officials plan to meet later this month to see if they can resolve regulatory roadblocks preventing the city and the T from moving ahead with […]
