Overview
The MBTA has undergone major changes in the past several
years. Unfortunately the authority falls dramatically short of what it needs to
be, and is facing major financial problems as it moves forward.
At the
heart of the problem is that the T spends more than a quarter of their annual
budget paying off $8 billion of debt (with interest). Over the years state and
federal transportation money should have helped the T, but as Big Dig
construction went billions over budget, it swallowed up funds that could have
addressed these problems.
Now the
T is facing a downward spiral in which the authority cannot generate the
revenue necessary to achieve a state of good repair, meaning that the MBTA
cannot improve service quality, retain and attract riders, and increase revenue
over time.
Until
this debt burden is solved, the MBTA will continue to request rate hikes to
bridge its operating deficits, and will do nothing to address the backlog of
needed service improvements.
MASSPIRG
supports legislation filed by Representatives Carl Sciortino, Alice Wolf and
Senator Jarrett Barrios to have the Commonwealth assume a portion of the T's
debt. Only then can the nation's oldest public transit system live up to its
potential by fixing the backlog of maintenance needs, improving service,
minimizing fares, and increasing ridership.