Speak up about MBTA Fare Hikes via Transportation for Massachusetts

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Per our friend, Hakim Cunningham — Social Justice Policy Coordinator at Transportation for Massachusetts.

Below you will find the outline of our strategy to ensure fares remain affordable. Suggestions are welcome.

OUR POSITION

Riders suffered through last winter, and continue to endure poor service. This is not the time to raise fares beyond 5% every two years. The MBTA is making progress in closing the operating deficit, and it can be done without the proposed hikes.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1) Please send an email to your list to encourage your supporters to testify at a hearing and to comment via the public comment tool. Attached is sample text you can use for an e-blast. Josh Ostroff is also available to help you tailor this call to action for your organization’s supporters.

2) Please ask whoever does your social media to share images and infographics T4MA will be posting everyday over the next two weeks.

ISSUE BACKGROUND

The proposed fare hikes would go into effect on July 1. The FMCB was presented with 4 scenarios and chose to only put 2 out for public comment — 6.7% or 9.7% increase overall, which exceeds the commonly held understanding of the 2013 transportation finance law. In October, the Baker Administration presented a different interpretation. In spring of 2015, the Baker Administration attempted to eliminate the cap entirely, but the Legislature did not pass this proposal. Many advocates and legislators maintain that the intent was 5% every other year, and a different section of the 2013 law remains internally inconsistent. Furthermore, the Baker Administration is claiming that the fare cap does not apply to passes, meaning that passes could go up at any time by any amount. A large fare hike of 23% in 2012 led to ridership losses, while a fare hike of 5% in 2014 led to small gains. It is worth noting that gas prices were much higher in 2014.

The MBTA’s hearings on the fare hikes started last night in Lynn and will go through February 11. For a full list of hearings and a link to our online tool, click here: http://www.t4ma.org/mbta_fare_hikes. In early March, the FMCB will vote on fare changes. The changes may be one of the two scenarios, a hybrid, or something different. If you have questions about the current policy or the coalition’s policy position, feel free to reach out to Charlie Ticotsky.

OUR COALITION ACTION PLAN

1) Mobilize large turn-outs to hearings. Our goal is to have a significant turn-out of grassroots and grasstops opposing the proposed fare hike proposals. We ask our members to:

* Testify yourself

* Turn out your supporters to testify (sample email attached)

* Potentially flyer at T stops on the days of the hearings (sample flyer attached). If you are interested in helping with this, let Josh know and he can help plot the most strategic T stops and times.

2) Place letters to the editor. Josh Ostroff will be working with members and grasstops leaders to get LTEs submitted to daily and weekly newspapers in the MBTA service area. Our goal is have 6–10 LTEs placed over the next few weeks.

3) Spread our message via social media. FieldFirst is producing an image or infographic for every day there is a fare hike hearing. We ask that you share these via social media. Tony Dutzik of the Frontier Group will be writing two blogs on fares, which we also ask you post.

4) Work toward a legislative fix. MAPC is leading the coalition’s efforts to work with legislators to clarify that the cap is 5% every two years, that passes should be considered fares, and to ensure the MBTA receives state assistance in this year’s budget. Kirstie Pecci (MASSPIRG) and Andrea Freeman (MPHA) are scheduling 10 in-district meetings between Boston-area legislators and their constituents to support the coalition’s advocacy.

THANK YOU