New rates and cuts will start in July.
The Board of Directors for the MBTA has approved its final plan to raise fares and make service cuts, some of which would impact Brookline, according to the State House News Service and Boston Globe Twitter accounts. The board, in a 4-1 vote, approved the plan which will raise fares by 23 percent and make cuts to bus routes, commuter rail service, and alter THE RIDE service, among other moves. The new rates will take affect on July 1. Stay tuned for updates to this story.
"[The MBTA cuts] would have a devastating affect on our students...and people of all walks of life," Mayor Setti Warren said at the public hearing.
Concerned about the effects of proposed fare hikes and service reductions, MBTA riders and elected officials packed the War Memorial at Newton City Hall Tuesday night to voice their opinions and ideas. Eighty-five people signed their name up to comment at the standing-room-only meeting, the first of 20 that will be held across the state--with no meeting scheduled in Brookline, the Selectmen voted last night to request one as a body. Throughout the evening, speakers underlined concerns about transit accessibility for disabled and elderly patrons as well as local students. The MBTA is considering two scenarios to help tackle its $161 million budget deficit; one scenario includes a 43 percent fare increase with fewer service cuts and the …
