MBTA General Manger Jonathan Davis listens as local citizens vent their concerns over proposed fare increases and service cutbacks. – Photo by Andrew Firestone

By Andrew Firestone

Somerville once again got the chance to have its voice heard last Tuesday, February 28, when an audience of hundreds turned out largely to protest the proposed fare hikes and service cuts the MBTA is currently considering. The MBTA is responsible for running all of the trolley, subway and bus lines that provide effective public transit for the millions of residents living in the Greater Boston area. Ridership has increased to record levels, while the operating deficit has ballooned to $161 million per year. All fare revenue goes to paying off debt.

MBTA General Manger Jonathan Davis was personally on hand at this, the twenty-fourth of 30 such hearings. Davis withstood the outrage of the group, but said that the “stark realities” dealing with such a debt were unmistakable.  “I think we have some difficult decisions to be made over the next couple of months. However, I do appreciate all the customers coming out and voicing their concerns, suggestions and ideas. I love the passion for public transportation and support for public transportation coming off a record year of ridership,” he said.

“We understand these proposals effect people; people who may be left without any transportation option,” he continued.  “We’re not happy about having to make these proposals.”

The two proposals are as follows: Under the first one, the T eliminates 60 bus routes, a ride on the T would go from the current $1.70 Charlie Card fare to $2.40 and a bus Charlie Card fare would increase from $1.25 to $1.75. Parking rates would also increase by 28 percent. Under the second, the T eliminates 200 bus routes, and would raise fares. The T would go to $2.25 and a bus Charlie Card would go from $1.25 to $1.50. Parking rates would also increase by 20 percent. There would likely be more service cuts under the latter proposal.

Under either of the two proposals, there would also be a cut of 525 jobs at the MBTA.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone was frank about the fundamental problem: “we are talking about alleviating people from poverty here: connecting people to jobs, academia.” He added that they need to talk about a permanent solution to the debt and to stop “kicking the problem” down the road in perpetuity. “We cannot put that burden on the shoulders of working people alone,” he said.

The tenor of the meeting was not always civil. An elderly woman in the front row loudly proclaimed the “unmitigated gall” of the MBTA for limiting time to speak to only 90 seconds, and she later attempted to wrest the microphone away from the moderator when one woman’s testimony went on too long. The testimony in question was a diatribe in which the woman called the new CFO Dana Levenson, of MassDOT a person who is known for contracting out public services to private corporations.

But Public-Private partnership might be the only way to keep the beleaguered system running. With such a high level of public debt, with the MBTA being the most highly leveraged department of its kind in the country, putting the process in the hands of private enterprise might be the only way of mitigating future debt brought on by the alternative: massive bonding to pay for services.

The fact of the matter is that something must give in terms of the status quo at the MBTA. While they struggle with a decades old total debt, reaching roughly $5.2 billion, there is little to no hope of bridging the gap while maintaining train lines and buses. The debt can largely be traced back to the Big Dig project of the 1990s, and almost none of the current legislators or officials in MassDOT can be held responsible for this.

Representative Carl Sciortino of Somerville and Medford said as much, and also praised a group of young citizens dressed as superheroes, “the Fast Five.” ‘Mr. Snowplow’ dressed in a gaudy orange costume, proposed five cost-saving measures: MassPort taking over the Silver and Blue Lines, a renegotiation of credit-swaps between the MBTA and the banks, the Commuter rail organization MCBR raising their fees, a revised University pass, and using the remaining snow-plow money. He estimated the cost of saving to be $224 million, before he and his similarly dressed comrades were chased away by the “Big Dig Debt,” a villainous character.

But the service cuts were what brought out many speakers, who voiced concern over how they would get to work, or school or enjoy the culture of the area. Ben Echevarria, President of the non-profit group Welcome Project, noted that there were redundancies in services such as bus lines that went along the same track as the Red Line. He specifically derided the 95 bus being cut as it would be a burden upon those working class people of the Mystic River housing project and urged more discourse with the community from the MBTA. “There are places to cut, and there are also places that you can’t cut. It is understanding that piece that we need to know.”

Teen Empowerment youth Christine Felix was more specific on this particular issue. “The 95 is the one, the only one that goes through the Mystic. And us Mystic project kids, we rely on the 95 one hundred percent,” said Felix.

Occupy Somerville, a local activist group spun off from the Occupy Wall Street movement last year was decidedly outspoken at the meeting, with cries of “tax the rich” echoing throughout the auditorium. Rand Wilson, a local union activist, repeatedly admonished the MBTA officials for their conduct, yelling, “shame on you” at Harrison, and urged the audience to “rise up.” Many of his comrades were likewise enthused, railing against the fiscal impropriety of the MBTA and demanding that those who were responsible be held accountable.

One man, calling the proposals an “attack on the 99 percent,” proclaimed, “this whole thing is a farce, it’s a charade, it’s a lie,” before launching into a plan to tax the near 60,000 millionaires. He was not alone, as many other citizens proposed tax hikes, and urged the legislature to begin in earnest to discuss raising the gas tax.

One woman spoke and said that “Please do not do this. It is so unfair and selfish. It will hurt us immensely.”