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SoulSentry t1_iy7t739 wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in could the red line be shut down next... by iFuckingLoveBoston

Can't charge more money for worse service. The only reason most use the T is because it is cheap. If it were expensive more people would drive thus reducing any gains. You need increased ridership to earn more money. The only way that will happen is if service is expanded.

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[deleted] t1_iy9apzn wrote

[deleted]

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SoulSentry t1_iyar5w4 wrote

30 cents per ride is a 12.5% increase in price per ride. That's a significant amount of money for a Wall Street banker let alone most people . Spending 12% more on your transportation with no improvement to the speed and reliability of service is a bridge too far and will result in fewer riders which means less revenue. It may not completely negate the gains but it won't result in 12% more revenue for the T. At best maybe 0.5%

A better idea would be to tax all road users for millage travelled and add tolls to I-93, Rte 2, Rte 3, and the other major roadways into and out of greater Boston. Only allow that tax revenue to fund the T. This makes choosing to drive more expensive and thus taking the T a more attractive (although slower) option. This would also have a follow on effect of more revenue from increased ridership. All of that new funding could be used to expand service and improve transit time and reliability.

This is the only serious way to fix a transit system

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