I have VERY strong feelings on this subject. The T does not need additional money from riders. It needs additional money from state coffers. For years, the Legislature has grossly underfunded the MBTA while mandating it expands, i.e., do more with less.
According to a Wikipedia article, the MBTA i partly funded by 1 percent of sales tax revenues. So if revenues drop, so does funding. Instead, Legislators should be funding the MBTA just like any other state agency, guaranteeing it has sufficient operational funding.

The second scenario would be a little higher of round-trip cash-on-board of what I used to pay in Hawaii ($2.50/one way, with free transfers). With both proposals, there's no definition of "Charlie Card". Per the website, it advertises it as "Get the Plastic CharlieCard and Save!". If raised, it matches or goes over the cash-on-board fee and therefore doesn't make sense. I have very strong feelings pertaining to the service eliminations/cutbacks. Aside from the 70 route (which is about a mile away), I depend on the 556 and 59 (558 at times). Toss those away & I have no in & out of my area. I'm praying on Proposal one so deeply and to the heart since at least the West suburbs will still have *some* method of getting around.

If fares go up, the gas tax should go up as well.

Vote with your feet! WALK to work, organize like the attack on Verizon and Bank of America! When the "Charlie Card" was introduced with a cast of hundreds to explain it I could not believe EVERYONE ROLLED over and took it likea good little lap dog!
Took away the "FREE" ride from St. Mary's to Cleveland Circle, reduced service and increased fares. A 40 minute walk or bicycle ride to the "Financial District" would have got that BS re-thought quickly!

Net, net, bottom line the meetings will be held, riders will protest and the fares will increase but by about half of the proposed amount. The MBTA follows the same strategy every time they want to raise fares. That being said the bus and subway fares will still be a bargain compared to other cities with comparable services.

I'm with WallSmart on this one: the MBTA will put these two figures out there then actually raise the fares less than that, thus making the public feel as if they have somehow won something. And the reduction in service will be explained by the lesser raise. Same...stuff, different day.

It is preposterous to once again talk of hiking fares without at least improving service in some way, but instead the infamous T will REDUCE, reduce service. Don't they have any more imagination than that? How about doubling the increase they're thinking of, but improving service that is so badly needed. They should be embarrassed that they can't add 2 + 2.

No fare hikes without union concessions.
MBTA work and pay rules are completely absurd. Time to come back to reality.

Hikes are inevitable at this point. Service reductions could be disastrous. Think of the crowded trolleys, trains and buses!

Hi Melanie, thanks for the timely article. I can understand why the MBTA needs to be responsible in terms of settling long-standing debts, etc. I have yet to find out if the monthly T pass will be increasing in price as well, and I'm so curious, as I buy this for my commute every month.

Whoops. For some reason, the Patch software logged me in as my VERBOTEN ANONYMOUS EVIL ID when I loaded the site today. Sorry about that.

My wife thinks a 10% hike is a more reasonable number than 35% or 43%. I'm not sure that amount would do much to solve the MBTA's budget problems. However, a smaller number would be easier for commuters to accept.

I think Mr. Davey needs to consider "additional revenue-generating measures" that go beyond fare hikes and service cuts. There's certainly more space in MBTA stations and vehicles for advertising. They could also offer businesses the opportunity to sponsor vehicle improvements (repairs to individual subway cars, trolley cars, and buses) in exchange for naming plaques similar to those seen on chair backs in theaters or "adopt-a-highway" signs. Though it might not raise a lot of money, it would remind the Boston business community that public transportation is valued by its customers.

STOP the unfunded expansion to the suburbs - to suggest reducing service and increasing the cost of rides is OUTRAGIOUS. For 8 years I rode my bicycle to Government Center ("Scolly Square") and only had to use the "T" 3 or 4 times because of heavy rain and winds. 25 minutes from Coolidge Corner via Charles River over the MGH foot bridge. Only drawback I awoke before arriving at work.

"Only drawback I awoke before arriving at work." Yeah, it's hell being awake at work.

Where can someone find a list of the bus, subay and trains they plan to end or cut back. It would be nice to see the list so that people can understand the full effect it will have on there commute.

go to the mbta website and click on the box near the center of the main page entitled "join the discussion". there is a .pdf document with the 2 proposals listed, including fare increases, pass prices under the increase, and proposed service cuts. Note that under proposal 2, it looks like all bus service for the suburbs is to be eliminated. If we pay an assessment at the municipal level to support the T, we should take it back and set up our own bus service. Clearly this proposal is intended to scare us into giving them a blank check. I do agree that pay and benefit savings should be investigated internally before cutting service. After all, WE are paying them to transport us. They work for us, not vice versa, although it is hard to tell from their presentation. I do not see any documentation of costs for the various routes versus revenue to support their proposal to cut the services.

Looks like times are tough in DC as well. Guess you can run but you can't hide.

The DC Metro proposes to increase bus and rail fares by about 5 percent and raise parking rates to overcome a $116 million shortfall in its next operating budget.

The actual amount of increases would vary by trip, but riders who use paper Farecards would face the biggest change. Whether going two stops or 10, they would pay one-way flat fares: $6 during rush hour, $4 in off-peak times. For a group traveling together, hailing a taxi might quickly become more palatable.

The last fare increase was two years ago, and it was the broadest in Metro’s history. An increase this year is likely to be unpopular because the system struggles daily with service disruptions — some planned, and others not. Riders face delays because of train malfunctions and other issues. In the past three weeks, brake parts have fallen off two rail cars.

The proposed budget would increase rail fares in rush-hour periods by an average of less than 5 percent for those using Smar­Trip cards, according to Metro. The maximum peak fare would rise from $5 to $5.75. Rail riders would also see changes in off-peak fares. The base fare would increase to $1.70, from $1.60, a trip. The maximum off-peak fare would be $3.50.