Public Transit is a Public Good

There’s no denying it: our transportation system in Massachusetts is in a full-blown crisis. Almost every day we see new headlines or alerts telling us of something gone horribly wrong. Two derailments on the Green and Red lines in the span of four days last June, the latter of which wasn’t fixed for months. Buses catching on fire. The worst traffic congestion in America. An outdated Commuter Rail system. A $10 billion dollar maintenance and repair backlog. All of this and a 6% fare increase on the MBTA went into effect on July 1 despite massive pushback from T riders.

For years, Massachusetts has lurched from crisis to crisis in our transportation network while our Democratic-controlled state legislature — despite veto-proof majorities in both chambers — has been reluctant both to outline a long term transportation vision and to raise new revenue. Instead, we’ve gotten vague promises from the legislature while Governor Baker has proposed meager new funding nowhere near the level needed to address the crisis.

Our state and regional economies depend on a reliable public transit system. It’s time for Massachusetts to pursue bold new policies and invest in the public transit system we need and deserve. That’s why I’m announcing a policy platform that calls for fare free public transit, new revenue for the MBTA, improved service in Allston-Brighton, Regional Rail, building West Station now, and investing in East-West Rail.

Make Public Transit Fare Free

Access to public transit is about more than getting from Point A to Point B. It’s about having access to places, opportunities, and experiences that shape, enrich, and better your life — whether you’re getting health care or education, visiting parks and museums, or simply getting across town to see someone you love. By eliminating fares and investing in free public transit we can establish a right to mobility and ensure that everyone — regardless of their income level, race, or zip code —has access to these benefits.

Fare free transit makes both moral and economic sense, and would be a critical step in fighting climate change. The MBTA has increased fares 4 times since 2012, while ridership has continued to decline. Cities that have adopted free public transit, meanwhile, have seen ridership increase as well as a surge in transit equity. Furthermore, fares from bus and subway rides amounted to just over 20 percent in revenues for the MBTA budget in 2018, a gap that could be filled with new progressive revenue if fares were eliminated.

Fare free transit is an idea whose time has come. Since Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu began advocating for it in January 2019, the city of Lawrence eliminated bus fares and ridership increased 24%. Worcester, meanwhile, is also considering eliminating bus fares. And a push for reduced MBTA fares for low-income riders has picked up momentum.

Everyone benefits from a well-functioning public transit system, not just riders. Drivers in cars benefit from fewer cars on the road. Employers benefit from their employees having easy access to work. People who own property nearby transit lines benefit from increased property values. And since more transit use reduces emissions, we all benefit from cleaner air.

Public transit is a public good, and it should be free for everyone.

Raise New Progressive Revenue to Fix and Fund the MBTA

The root causes of our transportation crisis can be traced back to decades of systemic under-investment in our transit networks. Decades of tax cuts have significantly reduced our ability to invest in and maintain our infrastructure. Instead of raising net new revenue for the MBTA, the Baker Administration has relied on inequitable and unjustifiable fare increases. As a result, MBTA fares have increased by 41% since 2012 while the quality of service has sharply decreased.

To reverse this trend and build the transit system we deserve, we should pursue — but not be limited to — the following progressive revenue options:

1. Fair Share Amendment: Raise Up Massachusetts has revitalized its efforts to pass the Fair Share Amendment, which would impose a surcharge of 4% on the state’s income tax for earnings above $1 million. More than three quarters of Massachusetts voters support asking our wealthiest residents to pay their fair share so that we can afford to invest in transportation and education. It is estimated that the Fair Share Amendment could generate up to $2 billion annually in new revenue.
2. Transportation Climate Initiative: The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) is a regional effort among northeastern states to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. TCI takes a two-pronged “cap-and-invest” strategy by requiring local fuel distributors to buy permits for contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and using that revenue to invest in more sustainable transportation. Regional emissions from on-road transportation fuels could decrease 19% by 2032 under TCI, and Massachusetts could see up to $500 million in revenue for sustainable transit projects.
3. Raise C-Corp Tax Rates: As in most other states, corporations in Massachusetts pay a variety of different taxes, including an excise tax on net income. Most larger businesses (many of which are organized as C-corporations for tax purposes) pay the Massachusetts net profit tax at a rate of 8%, which was lowered from 9.5% to 8% between 2009 and 2012. MassBudget estimates that “each 1 percentage point increase in the rates applied to C-corps (and other large businesses, including banks, financial institutions, and insurance companies) might generate between $200 -$300 million in additional annual tax revenue,” on top of the roughly $2.8 billion collected annually through business taxes.
4. Regional Transportation Ballot Initiatives: Regional ballot initiatives in the United States allow municipalities to place a question on the ballot to raise revenue for local and regional transportation projects. Pending legislation in the State House would allow for regional ballot initiatives in Massachusetts and would allow municipalities to raise revenue without relying on the state legislature. This legislation would further allow two or more municipalities to form a regional district to coordinate the spending of revenue raised by an initiative in each member municipality for regional transportation projects, which is particularly important for funding Regional Transit Authorities.
5. Raise Fees on Ride-Hailing Services: The current fee for trips by a Transportation Network Company (TNC) like Uber or Lyft in Massachusetts is 20 cents. This is much lower than other cities, such as Chicago ($1.25 most areas, $3 downtown) or New York City ($2.75 in most of Manhattan). Increasing the TNC fee in Massachusetts to $1 per trip could yield about $100 million in new revenue. According to Governor Baker’s FY21 budget proposal, 70% of this new revenue would be dedicated to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, giving the MBTA an estimated $73 million boost. Alternatively, other proposals have called for establishing a TNC fee of 6.25% for solo rides and 4.25% for shared rides — opposed to a flat fee — with a local option for communities in the MBTA’s core area to impose a higher fee. Both proposals merit consideration.

Improve MBTA Service in Allston-Brighton

Anyone who has spent more than a few minutes in Allston-Brighton knows what a hassle it is to get to and from downtown via public transit, especially during rush hour. In addition to the proposals above, there are several other ways to improve service within Allston-Brighton:

1. Transit Signal Prioritization: Transit signal prioritization (TSP) allows trolleys and buses that run along streets to request a green light as they approach a traffic intersection, shortening commute times and headways. The MBTA has been piloting TSP at certain intersections on the Green Line since 2017, and the initial pilots indicated that TSP did in fact lessen commute times. The MBTA should continue to implement TSP throughout the Green Line and bus routes.
2. Fair Fare Collection: The MBTA has long planned to overhaul its fare collection system to convert to cashless, all-electronic fare collection and implement all-door boarding on buses and Green Line trolleys (with fare collection machines at every door and not just the front). The MBTA also hopes that this integrated system will allow them to offer discounts to low-income riders. However, much like your Green Line train, this overhaul has been delayed and is now being “reset.” Many advocates have highlighted that this overhaul, while well-intended, would make it difficult for riders who rely on cash to access and utilize public transit. They have also rightly raised concerns about racial profiling in fare evasion enforcement. With this new “reset” the MBTA must ensure that equity is centered in every step of the process.
3. Improve Bus Service: While TSP and automated fare collection (done properly) will greatly improve bus service, a few other measures should be taken as well. First, the legislature should encourage and work with Boston however they can to build more bus and bike lanes. I’m proud to have helped bring about the new Brighton Ave bus and bike lane in Allston, which has already improved commute times on the 57 and 66 bus. Second, the House should follow the Senate’s lead and adopt their recently-passed bill to electrify the MBTA’s bus fleet. Finally, while we push to make public transit fare free in Massachusetts, Boston should take the first step and eliminate bus fares.

Regional Rail

The MBTA Commuter Rail is an integral part of our statewide public transit network, but the current business model is woefully out of date and fails to give riders the frequency and quality of service they need and deserve. Our failure to modernize Commuter Rail service has resulted in increased traffic congestion and leaves thousands dependent on owning, maintaining, and driving cars. It’s time to transform our Commuter Rail to Regional Rail.

Regional Rail, an idea championed by TransitMatters, would transform the Commuter Rail into a more reliable, frequent, and cost-effective intercity rail system. Perhaps most importantly, Regional Rail would require more frequent service all day: every 30 minutes in the suburbs and every 15 minutes in Boston and other Inner Core communities. Regional Rail would also electrify the entire system, enabling use of Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) to replace the current push/pull diesel fleet. In addition to being faster, more reliable, and cheaper to maintain, EMUs are much cleaner than diesel trains, which is particularly important as transportation is the #1 source of CO2 emissions. The transformation to Regional Rail should also include building the long-overdue North-South Rail Link to connect North Station and South Station.

Regional Rail would also help take the pressure off of the housing market in Boston as well. With frequent and reliable service throughout the entire rail network, more and more people who work in Greater Boston would feel comfortable living further from the city. Regional Rail — in addition to other housing policies —would help spur the development of more housing further away from Boston.

Public transit must be frequent and reliable all day, not just during rush hour. A Regional Rail system would provide our current Commuter Rail network with the frequency of service we need in the 21st Century.

Build West Station Now

West Station is a planned multi-modal station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, to be located in the former Beacon Park Yard in Allston. The Allston Interchange project to straighten the Mass. Pike in Allston will open up space for the land, and provides a prime opportunity to build the station while the area is a construction site. West Station would provide Commuter Rail access for the surrounding neighborhood, straighten out bus routes in Allston, and set the stage for eventual rail service into Kendall Square in Cambridge via the Grand Junction Railroad.

So what’s the problem? Although the Mass. Pike realignment project is slated to start soon, the Baker Administration continues to insist that West Station does not need to be built until 2040.

Aside from being another example of the current administration’s lack of long-term vision, delaying West Station for 20 years is problematic for a number of reasons. First, the area around the proposed West Station site in Allston is already developing rapidly, and development is only going to increase after the Mass. Pike realignment. The explosion of development around the New Balance HQ at Boston Landing is all the proof one needs that this area will continue to grow rapidly. Second, Harvard alone has offered to pay $58 million toward the estimated $95 million cost, while BU has offered up a smaller, unspecified amount. These commitments have taken the vast majority of the cost off the state’s plate, so it makes neither financial nor strategic sense to delay this project by 20 years.

We can’t afford to wait on this. We need to build West Station now.

East-West Rail

Anyone who has driven from Springfield to Boston during rush hour can attest to how miserable the experience is. Last spring, Senator Eric Lesser joined a group of commuters who carpool in a van from Springfield to Boston every morning. Those commuters leave at 5:30 a.m. every morning and get back around 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. each night.

It’s no secret that Greater Boston has seen a sustained economic boom in the last few years. What is often left out of that conversation, however, are the glaring income and economic disparities between Greater Boston, our Gateway Cities, and more rural parts of Western Massachusetts. A recent report shows that these disparities are only likely to grow, as the state is projected to see increased growth in Greater Boston while the Cape and Western Massachusetts shrink.

High-speed East-West Rail would spur economic growth in Western Massachusetts, while also easing traffic and housing problems in and around Boston. Thankfully, after years of debate and advocacy, a study is underway. The challenge now is to hold the Baker Administration accountable while building the political will in the state legislature.

When it comes to fixing and funding our transportation network in Massachusetts, we have no shortage of popular, progressive ideas. The only thing missing in the State House is a long-term vision to make it happen and the political will to move the ball forward. After years of crises and with riders abandoning public transit in droves, we cannot afford to wait any longer. Our regional economy depends on a reliable transportation system that provides every part of Massachusetts with equitable access to mobility and opportunity.

Public transit is a public good. It’s time we fight for it.