Editorial: The T cut success

The MBTA’s fare boost and service cuts are a clear success.

Not at serving the public—especially where some of JP’s most transit-needing residents are concerned. Rather, in finally drawing serious attention to the dire state of the T’s finances.

MBTA Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis is to be commended for creating a brilliant fear campaign that worked.

As we predicted, the T “compromised” on its most draconian cuts, leaving people feeling more or less relieved by the lower level of butchery and money-grabbing that will happen. Now the ball is in the State House’s court to keep this problem from happening year after year.

It used to be that the T would just propose a fare increase, get yelled at, and do it anyway. But this time, it garnered deserved sympathy and displayed the bigger picture. It’s hard to blast the necessity of a plan that kills the T chief’s own ride to work.

The T is still getting off easy a bit. Its own employee costs and other possible inefficiencies haven’t been looked at deeply enough.

But most of the problem lies higher up and is finally landing where it belongs—at the State House doors.

Of course, it will remain quiet behind those doors unless T riders become voters in this election year. It’s time to see who’s on board with reasonable T fixes.

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