The MBTA budget disaster has whacked JP. Low-income seniors, people with disabilities and new hotel guests are all feeling the impact. The less money you have, the more the fare hikes are biting you.
And that’s just for this fiscal year. It all would have been worse if legislators hadn’t pulled off some budgetary sleight-of-hand.
It is time for the state to get serious about solving the T budget problem permanently. Yet the only sign of action so far is the State House telling MassDOT to write a report about it.
A State House commission should be formed to hold extensive hearings into how the T got into this mess and how to get it out. That should include testimony from officials, unions and riders.