Charlie – One Stingy Bastard

There's been a lot of press for some of the changes that have come to the restructured fares and associated increases on the MBTA system. It costs more for the buses and the trains on per ride fares, more if you use cash or a CharlieTicket. The Green Line above ground outbound rides are no longer free. The inner and outer express buses cost more, as does the commuter rail. Of course the MBTA is quick to retort that there are no longer exit fares charged at the end of the Red or Green Lines. Combo Pass holders under the old fare structure now pay less for service under this pricing structure (but a lot of subway only pass holders are paying more).

Something Charlie took away without fanfare or warning was "bring a guest Sundays*." Monthly pass holders had the benefit of flashing their pass to the person in the booth and walking, with a friend, through the reduced fare gate on Sunday. When the CharlieTicket came out for monthly passes and the turnstiles were traded in for the new CharlieGates we thought perhaps it was the demise of the Sunday guest program. Not so. As a T employee instructed, simply insert your monthly CharlieTicket into the gate, remove, pass back to your guess and have them repeat the process. The gate would open twice. Incidentally the T employee referred to it as "Sunday Passback Privilege." The CharlieCard now contains many of Boston's new LinkPasses and won't allow for a double tap on Sunday. We inquired with a station employee who told us the program is no longer in effect. For good measure we hopped a bus and tried to get a guest on for free – didn't work there either, the driver told us the same thing. But let the guest ride for free anyhow. Readers who may have a January monthly pass on a CharlieTicket: have you tried the bring a guest Sunday double insertion? Are the gates still programmed to accept the monthly CharlieTickets on Sundays?

*Page goes to a Google cached page of fares, explaining the bring a guest program as a footnote to monthly passes.