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Bite Size News, November 10: Cuts That Hurt Edition
Ever "Written to the Top" to complain to the MBTA that a bus or train you expected never arrived? And maybe, just maybe, they wrote back in apology?
It's likely they did it on purpose, according to a Herald article:
Top MBTA officials acknowledge that for years the agency has been secretly cutting thousands of bus and train trips from published schedules to lower costs - a practice that has left legions of customers waiting for rides that arrived late or not at all.T General Manager Daniel Grabauskas told the Herald he has moved swiftly to end what he called “hidden service cuts” on bus and subway lines throughout the system. But he said customers have been lied to for years so the T could claim to operate at a level of service it was not delivering. (emphasis ours)
The MBTA can cut its service all it wants and play poormouth as an explanation. But don't ever lie to us. We already know the MBTA is broke, no need to pour salt in the wound.
And, if they are so broke, what were they doing considering T Radio, which was universally reviled upon its debut? Perhaps the MBTA should be blocked from new projects, such as the Green Line extension through Somerville. While the extension would be marvelous, the MBTA needs to get its house in order. And where is the governor on this one?
Grabauskas claims that the lying about buses started before he became General Manager and that he's fixing it, but he's been in the job for two years, and services have been cut over that timespan. Bostonist doesn't condone that slur-filled, hateful letter that a Department of Corrections employee allegedly sent to him, but Grabauskas should brace himself for a flood of complaints after this.
Oh, and another thing while Bostonist is crabby. The Herald ran the story on a Saturday of a three-day weekend. Why would it not run on a weekday to make sure that people were aware of what's going on? Tell your friends that Charlie has been lying to all of us.
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Cancel the Green Line extension? Spoken like someone who never had to commute to Lechmere from Medford Hillside and on the 80 bus.
I want the Green Line Extension. Bostonist has covered it with great glee in the past. But, as shown with this week's lawsuit, and now sneaky-cutting bus runs, what's the point of having it if it doesn't work?
It doesn't have to be the Green Line Extension. At least they jettisoned T Radio.
i'm looking at you, 502 bus!!
The 502 is where the cutting is AT! The best part was when I called to complain about the lack of service. It's 2008, right smack in the middle of the technological age, and the woman taking my complaint wrote it down. ON A NOTEPAD. I'm sure my thoughts reached Grabauskas. Oh yeah.
I agree that it is a shame that the Herald ran this article on a Saturday. However, it is encouraging to see that the broadcast media outlets in Boston have picked up on this situation. At least the Herald has been focusing on the T for the past week- Casey Ross has written three articles.
Dan Grabauskas may have done an OK job in running the Registry. But it seems like he hasn't even attempted to address the issues that have always plagued the T. For one thing - the budget deficit keeps on growing and the T's overall service continues to diminish. Instead of focusing on core competencies - getting commuters from point A to point B, the T has been chasing dreams like the Charlie Card, Wi-Fi on the Worcester-Framingham line, the Greenbush line (which should have been shuttered b/c of public opposition and the fact that Fall River/New Bedford don't have any mass transportation options into Boston).
The Boston media did such a great job trying to one-up each other for the "corruption" on the Big Dig project. Why are they ignoring the T's "mismanagement." Massachusetts needs a reliable and effective mass transit system. There are too many cars on the road right now. Mass transit will help stall the exodus of citizens moving to other states.
Governor Patrick needs to step up to the plate and address this situation. No one - whether they are in public service or the private sector - should be able to get away with blatantly lying.
I have complained SEVERAL times to the T about the number 11 bus which often just doesn't show. I will call the oh-so-helpful hotline while I'm waiting in subzero temps, only to be told by some inept jerk that there are no delays. Oh really?
Where is the accountability? This is absolutley outrageous! I want to see Deval address this in a serious manner. The MBTA has gone so far downhill, it's pathetic. The T claims to be so broke, but they are plenty busy renovating T-stops like Arlington and Copley. You know what? I'd rather deal with an older, crappy looking station that served its purpose just fine than be horribly late to work because the T is so poorly managed. Priorities are all sorts of backwards at the T. Ugh, this gives me high blood pressure. When are people going to wake up?
WBUR's Radio Boston is covering the MBTA this week. MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas will be featured on the hour-long show. Listeners can call in and join the conversation. Listen online at RadioBoston.org on Friday at 1pm.