Blog

Softening the Blow: Mitigation Strategies

February 21, 2012

So far we've discussed what a reasonable fare increase might look like, and which services the T -- and the larger economy -- can truly afford to cut. The good news is that the conversation on this issue seems to be heating up. Last week, the MBTA Advisory Board issued their counter proposal, advocating for a 25% fare hike. On Friday, the Transportation Advisory Committee -- a group of advocates, including ABC, that advises Secretary Davey -- discussed a similar position. We did our part as well, speaking at a meeting of the MBTA and RTA caucuses on Beacon Hill. Even if the the T goes with a smaller fare hike and fewer service cuts -- a big if, since such a plan would require outside help to balance the books -- there will still be some pretty significant impacts. Commuters will be paying more, and some (hopefully not as many as projected) will lose services that they depend on. The T has projected that a 25% fare increase would net $79 million but would generate a 7.2% drop in ridership, and that's not taking into account the ridership impacts of whatever service cuts the T ends up making. That comes out to roughly 93,000 fewer trips on the T every work day. Some percentage of those trips will be made in cars instead, adding to roadway congestion, delay and pollution. It's ABC's view that the Commonwealth take steps to mitigate the impact of any fare hikes and service cuts, so that we keep ridership losses and added car traffic to an absolute minimum. Fortunately, the T has a ready partner in this effort in the Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) that serve businesses around the state. We have operated an ABC TMA, serving 80,000 employees in the Back Bay and the Financial District, since 1996. We started our TMA to help businesses cope with the impacts of the Big Dig. Today we offer incentives and discounts to encourage walking, biking, and taking transit to work; and to organize carpools, vanpools and ride-matching for workers who don't want to drive alone. We also offer a guaranteed ride home for commuters who have to work late and miss their ride or train. Other TMAs in the Boston area, like the Charles River TMA that serves Kendall Square, run their own shuttle services. TMAs are great examples of public-private partnerships: they leverage public money from the Commonwealth with private funds from their member companies to provide transportation services more efficiently than either group could alone. We believe that the Commonwealth should actively engage the private sector, through TMAs and through the T's Corporate Pass program, to minimize the impacts of fare hikes and service cuts. Existing Corporate Pass companies need to be encouraged to maintain their subsidies, and new companies should be brought in to make transit easier and more affordable for their employees. The T and MassDOT should work with the TMAs to determine whether any of the services slated to be cut could be better served by a vanpool or other private shuttle solution. The TMA are also a great way to communicate directly with employees about changes coming to their commutes. One concrete step the state can take to help commuters would be to institute a Capital Cost of Contracting Program for vanpools. This would enable the state to receive reimbursement from the National Transit Database for vanpool mileage. In other states, similar programs have helped to cut vanpooling costs and increase ridership dramatically. Of course, there's only so much that the TMAs can do. A lot will depends on the size of the fare hikes and service cuts that the T ends up approving. Next week we'll talk about ways that other transportation agencies, and ultimately the governor and the legislature, can intervene to help the T get by with a more manageable package of cuts and hikes. We'll also tell you how you can make your voice heard.