Rick Dimino
Recently, the governor and his special MBTA panel released their much-anticipated report and recommendations. Gov. Charlie Baker, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and the members of the panel should be commended for their leadership and hard work. This panel of experts conducted an extremely thorough review, and we are grateful for their time and dedication. The panel has recommended several reforms that would significantly strengthen the T’s governance, management and operations, many of which were recommended by A Better City during the panel’s review process.
One of our key recommendations was that we need to fix the system we have today while investing in the system we need tomorrow. We are pleased to see that the panel’s recommendations would allow the commonwealth to focus on addressing the MBTA’s state of good repair backlog while keeping an eye towards the future, allowing to proceed the construction of expansion projects that can leverage federal and private funds, targeted investments in enhancing the capacity of the existing system and continued planning and design work for future investments. Crucial projects such as the Green Line Extension, Boston Landing and the Silver Line extension to Chelsea can proceed. This has important, positive implications for the continued growth of our economy, but significant new resources will still be required to ensure we can make all of the needed investments the region needs and move forward with critical capacity enhancements to accommodate increased demand for transit.
ABC was also a leading voice in the business community for prioritizing the need for both reform and revenue. We are heartened that the governor and his panel have rejected the false choice between reform and revenue, stating clearly today that the MBTA needs both. However, it remains unclear whether the financial support recommended in this report will provide a sufficient, dedicated revenue stream to address the MBTA’s structural operating deficit.
The suggestion that the discussion regarding significant new revenue sources be postponed by several years may be unrealistic. In just one year, the MBTA will have a projected operating deficit of $261 million and it will reach $366 million by fiscal year 2019. Additional state assistance or debt relief may be required to address this deficit. Even if all the recommendations made by the special panel were implemented immediately, the savings realized would not be enough to address the agency’s structural financial challenges.
Finally, we are concerned with the panel’s recommendation to lift the current cap on fare increases. Currently, fares can be raised no more than 5 percent every two years. Keeping fare increases modest and predictable is important for reasons of equity, customer service, encouraging transit ridership and for the stability of the MBTA’s budget process. At the very least, fare increases beyond the current framework should only be considered as part of a larger revenue package and after demonstrable improvements are made in service reliability and customer satisfaction.
Going forward, the MBTA will need sufficient resources in order to operate reliably and deliver the 21st century transportation system we need and deserve. We look forward to working with the Baker Administration and the legislature to realize that vision.
