GRIDLOCK!
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SUCKS!
A man recently volunteered that with the FARE HIKES, it made no sense for him to take COMMUTER RAIL to Boston.
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY STEPHANIE POLLACK is out of touch, as evidenced by her comments.
This is Charlie Baker's FIASCO!
He's gonna STUDY IT SOME MORE?
Who wants to DRIVE in Boston?
Who wants to take the FAILED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM?
If ALL municipal employees and elected officials were mandated by LAW to take PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, how fast would it be corrected?
Here's your chance to speak out:
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MBTA ridership on downward trend
Officials say passengers taking fewer trips, shifting to alternatives
MBTA RIDERSHIP generally trended downward over the last three years, with officials saying the available evidence suggests a portion of the system’s riders are taking fewer trips on the T and replacing them with alternative modes of travel.
Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said she didn’t think riders were abandoning the T, just shifting to ride-sharing services, bicycles, and their own two feet when those options saved money or were more convenient. “There is more competition,” she said. “Choice is a good thing.”
Ridership overall on the Red, Orange, and Blue subway lines dropped 3.6 percent between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017, but the downturn was probably more pronounced because the first year included the winter of 2015 when the subway system was shut down for a period of time. Comparing just the last two years of the three-year period, ridership on the subway lines was off 3.3 percent – 2.4 percent on weekdays, 5 percent on Saturdays, and 2.9 percent on Sundays.
Bus ridership was off 6.5 percent over the three years. Buses carried roughly the same number of people during the first two years of the period, but then carried a lot fewer passengers during the third year – 5.6 percent less on weekdays, 9.9 percent less on Saturdays, and 9.14 percent on Sundays.
Green Line passenger levels, which dipped when the Government Center station was under construction, rebounded in the third year to previous levels. Commuter rail passenger traffic remained largely unchanged over the period.
Laurel Paget-Seekins, director of strategic initiatives at the T, told the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday that the passenger data was pieced together from a variety of sources, some of which were more reliable than others. But she said the trend line is probably pretty accurate and matches what’s happening at transit agencies across the country.
She said public transit does best in attracting passengers when it has a dedicated right of way during periods when congestion is high or alternative modes of travel are more expensive. On the subway lines, for example, passenger levels at peak travel periods increased slightly over the last two years while dipping more dramatically at off-peak times. She noted weekend passenger traffic generally fell more dramatically than weekday traffic.
Paget-Seekins said it’s difficult to pinpoint what has caused ridership to drop, but she said the likely culprits were the fare increase of July 2016, growing competition from other forms of transportation, and a wide variety of other factors.
The MBTA’s monthly link pass, which allows holders to take unlimited rides on subways and buses, increased in price from $75 to $84.50 a month in July 2016. Paget-Seekins said link pass sales held steady among those who purchased them through their employer, but dropped roughly 10,000 a month for those who purchased the pass on their own.
Paget-Seekins couldn’t quantify the impact of Uber and Lyft on the T, but she said it was logical to assume the companies were drawing riders away from the T. She said T surveys indicate about two thirds of the transit agency’s customers use ride-hailing apps and about one-third use ride-hailing apps instead of riding the T.
Bus ridership fell on many routes, but it was unclear why. Paget-Seekins said the T’s analysis suggests there is some correlation between a bus route’s on-time performance and passenger levels, and an even bigger impact from the number of riders on the route who pay reduced fares. Geography was also a factor, with routes serving areas north of downtown Boston (East Boston, Chelsea, and Revere) seeing passenger levels rise. The Blue Line, which serves the same area, also saw higher ridership.
Jeffrey Gonneville, the chief operating officer of the T, said the 116 and 117 buses, which serve East Boston, Chelsea, and Revere, are examples of routes that routinely had poor on-time performance until the transit agency invested time and resources in addressing the problems. Those two routes now have improving ridership – the 116 was up 7 percent between fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017 and the 117 was up 9 percent.
Paget-Seekins and members of the control board said there were also broader factors at work that may influence passenger levels at the T, including unusually low gasoline prices and a shift toward more people working from home.
Joe Aiello, the chairman of the control board, said it’s too early to panic about ride-hailing services stealing passengers away from the MBTA. He said Uber lost $2.5 billion last year. To turn a profit, he said, the service would have to raise its fares significantly. “It’s not clear where that industry is going,” he said.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON LINK:
Traffic woes may hurt Boston’s Amazon HQ2 pitch
Credit: Courtesy
(Boston, MA, 10/18/17) Traffic backs up on the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. Staff photo by Christopher Evans
Boston’s rock-bottom rankings for traffic and airport reliability could loom over its chances to score Amazon’s coveted second headquarters, but industry analysts and consultants say it’s likely not a “killer” as the HQ2 sweepstakes officially begins in earnest.
Boston, with four proposed sites with Suffolk Downs the focus, is widely considered a strong contender to score Amazon’s new $5 billion campus and its promise of 50,000 jobs, thanks to its tech-centric talent pool, extensive network of colleges and strong economy.
But the Hub’s checklist will likely not escape two of its more notorious setbacks.
It’s regularly rated as one of the most traffic-congested cities in America, ranking in the bottom six of two recent surveys, including a July WalletHub analysis of worst cities to drive in that pegged it 95th out of 100 cities — just one spot better than Amazon’s current home, Seattle.
Not far behind is Logan International Airport, which — despite an aggressive expansion of its international flights menu — has its own hurdles.
One survey, released this past spring by the site MileCards.com, ranked Logan fifth worst in the country for delays during summer travel, according to an analysis of federal data. J.D. Power put Logan in the bottom five among so-called “mega airports” in customer satisfaction rankings released last month.
Both likely won’t go unnoticed by Amazon officials, say experts — but don’t expect them to take the Hub out of the running either.
“Traffic and airports are always such a local concern. I’m not trying to downplay them but I don’t think it’s a killer,” said Andy Shapiro, managing director of Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co., which consults companies on site selection.
“I have ended up taking the train back to New York from Boston because I got tired of getting stuck at Logan,” Shapiro said. “It’s a hassle. You’re going to have delays, and you’re going to have traffic. But what other benefits are you offering?”
Massachusetts, in its own bid released last week, appeared to nod to this. It emphasized the $1 billion it’s spending annually to upgrade infrastructure on the MBTA and public transportation network. A total of 26 potential sites for the HQ2 were submitted by Bay State cities and towns.
At Logan, state officials highlighted the 56 nonstop flights they run to Seattle weekly, plus direct flights it’s added to Tel Aviv, Beijing and Tokyo. Massport is also launching a $750 million expansion of Logan’s international terminal, adding seven gates.
Other competing cities, such as Atlanta and Denver, have industry-leading airports, said Seth Kaplan, an analyst for the industry publication Airline Weekly. But Boston can offer competitive prices because it’s not locked down as one specific airline’s hub, he said.
“We haven’t done (an analysis of) where Amazon should go,” said Kaplan. “But in terms of air service, Logan’s gotten a lot better over the last decade.”
Boston’s traffic issues could also be a moot point, said Mark Sweeney, who advises companies on locating new facilities.
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