“Even as the T is staring at a major budget deficit, the agency is cutting into its own revenues by launching a reduced fare for low-income riders and stepping up hiring to improve service. Board member Thomas McGee said the state needs to get the T’s funding right over the next seven months if the agency is going to get on track. ‘We can’t go back,’ McGee said.
Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, which represents cities and towns in the MBTA service area, said he is preparing to start lobbying for quick action early next year in the Legislature. He said he is reaching out to municipal officials now and plans to begin knocking on doors at the State House in the fall.
Kane said the state needs to break the cycle of providing inadequate funding to the MBTA. Without more money, he said, the impact will be severe. ‘Bad stuff starts happening in the new year,’ he said.”
08/22/24 | By Bruce Mohl