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 effort to make a number of narrowly targeted fare changes.
Several of the proposed changes would benefit riders eligible for the MBTA’s reduced fare program, while others create new passes, tweak existing ones, or make permanent a pass that was launched on a temporary basis in response to the change in commuting patterns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
All of the proposed changes were presented to a subcommittee of the MBTA oversight board on Thursday morning and, if eventually approved, will take effect on July 1. A livestream of the virtual meeting wasn’t working, so it’s unclear whether the subcommittee made changes to the T’s proposal.
The MBTA’s reduced fare program is open to people with disabilities, Medicare cardholders, people 65 and older, some middle and high school students, and low-income people between the ages of 18 and 25. The reduced fares for those who qualify are $1.10 for subway rides, 85 cents for bus rides, and $30 for a monthly link pass, which entitles the holder to unlimited bus and subway travel. Lower one-way fares at about half price are also available on commuter rail and ferries.
One of the proposed reduced fare changes would create a new seven-day link pass for $10. Another would create a monthly pass for commuter rail and ferries, providing more convenience for reduce fare customers. And a third change would allow the link passes to cover commuter rail trips in the close-to-Boston 1A zone and rides on the Charlestown ferry.
The MBTA fare change proposal would also make permanent a five-day flex pass for commuter rail, which was launched as part of a pilot in June 2020 and allows unlimited commuter rail travel on any five days within a 30-day period.
The fare change proposal would also lower the cost of a one-day link pass from $12.75 to $11 and expand the availability of so-called second transfers, allowing passengers to transfer from one express bus to another or jump from a bus to a bus to a subway, or a subway to a bus to a bus.
The previous MBTA oversight board — the Fiscal and Management Control Board — had hoped its successor would launch a pilot program by now to test across-the-board fare discounts for low-income riders. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has also pressured the T to move ahead with a pilot paid for by the city that would eliminate fares on three bus routes in Boston.
The T hasn’t taken action on either initiative, although negotiations on the elimination of fares on the three Boston bus routes remain ongoing.
BRUCE MOHL
FROM COMMONWEALTH
She’s in: Attorney General Maura Healey ends months of speculation and announces she is running for governor. With Gov. Charlie Baker not running for reelection, the Democrat enters the race as the clear favorite in terms of campaign cash, name recognition, and poll-tested favorability.
– Despite her progressive profile, Healey may find herself pegged as the more establishment, moderate candidate relative to the Democratic field. Her rivals include Harvard professor Danielle Allen and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, both of whom have staked out strongly progressive agendas. Read more.
Oil powering grid: With natural gas prices sky-high, oil has become a go-to fuel for the New England power grid, accounting for 20 to 25 percent of power generation in recent weeks. The switch to the dirtier fuel is boosting carbon emissions and demonstrating how far the region has to go in dealing with climate change. Read more.
Test-and-stay shift: Gov. Charlie Baker expands his test-and-stay program to child care centers even as he backs away from it at schools. The goal is to avoid the quarantine periods that often result in the disruptive shutdown of child care facilities. Read more.
Hospital system backs housing initiative: Mass General Brigham, citing the link between health and housing, declares its support for legislation creating an opt-in real estate transfer tax for municipalities to help finance the construction of more housing. The hospital system is the state’s largest private employer and a powerful lobbying force on Beacon Hill. Read more.
Inside trading: A Needham police officer and two of his friends are arrested for using inside information on a pending corporate acquisition to make thousands of dollars in the stock market. Read more.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
The superintendent of the Everett Public Schools files a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, accusing Mayor Carlo DeMaria of racism and sexism. (Boston Globe)
Worcester pays $20,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a Liberian immigrant who alleged he was racially profiled and falsely arrested by an off-duty detail police officer at Walmart. (Telegram & Gazette)
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
In a rebuke to President Trump, the US Supreme Court allows the release of January 6 White House files. (New York Times)
Senate Democrats fail to pass voting rights legislation and also fail to unite behind a change to filibuster rules which would have made the legislation easier to pass. (New York Times)
Rochelle Walensky, a former top official at Massachusetts General Hospital, defends her tenure as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Boston Globe)
ELECTIONS
State Rep. Linda Dean Campell, a Methuen Democrat who led the legislative oversight committee investigating the COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, will not run for reelection. (Eagle-Tribune)
Two school committee members in Belchertown are facing a recall effort for voting to impose a vaccination mandate on students participating in sports or after-school activities. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
EDUCATION
Three leaders of the Boston Public Schools unanimously reject a proposal to convert Charlestown High School into an innovation and inclusion school. (Boston Herald)
ARTS/CULTURE
Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi offers an interesting take on protests outside the homes of politicians, saying one’s assessment of them often depends on the assessor’s political point of view.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
Kirstyn Niemela of Hudson, New Hampshire, and her girlfriend Stefanie Chiguer, of Dracut, are arrested on charges related to their participation in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. (MassLive)
A federal judge dismisses a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of James “Whitey” Bulger, saying the prison system cannot be held liable for transferring him to a West Virginia penitentiary where he was beaten to death. (Boston Globe)
MEDIA
The Boston Globe announces a rethinking of its climate coverage, an expanded team to do the work, and a name for the effort – “INTO THE RED: Climate and the fight of our lives.”