[bscb-l] In today's Globe Letters to the Editor: "Open to a fare hike, advocates highlight need for greater cost efficiency"

[Alison]

...and yet BSCB never ever says anything about the way MCB or our other cronies manage their money, even though we know there is waste and inefficiency there also.  We advocate for our cronies to get whatever money they say they need each year, without ever questioning how they use it.  In the case of the MBTA, however, BSCB treats them like they are the enemy, like whatever they say is a lie and whatever they ask for is unnecessary.  Why does BSCB resent the MBTA so much when the MBTA has been giving blind people in the Boston area an important service at a great price for so many years?  










----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Morin" <rick.morin at comcast.net>
To: "Bay state (Massachusetts) discussion list" <bscb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2012 7:07:06 AM
Subject: [bscb-l] In today's Globe Letters to the Editor: "Open to a fare	hike, advocates highlight need for greater cost efficiency"



Open to a fare hike, advocates highlight need for greater cost efficiency 
  March 18, 2012 
  
RE “MBTA must put Ride service on firmer financial footing’’ (Editorial, March 11): The Bay State Council of the Blind, a consumer advocacy organization, takes issue with how concerns of advocates are characterized. 
  
The council finds the outrageous $40 unit cost paid by the MBTA per trip on The Ride to be the core issue. We support an equitable fare increase for The Ride. We do not, however, support the splitting of the service area to establish a premium fare, particularly at the grossly inequitable proposed cost of $12 per trip, which the editorial does not mention. 
  
There is much more financial gain to be achieved by reducing the unit cost per trip than by effectively eliminating service for many people with disabilities who would suddenly find themselves beginning or ending trips in a premium area. 
  
We published three papers to Governor Patrick’s Executive Order 530 Commission and the MBTA that call for specific operational reforms to reduce the unit cost per trip. These recommendations are geared to increasing the number of people served per hour per Ride vehicle. 
  
The Ride is a shared ride system that is being operated more like a taxi service. We witness gross inefficiencies daily in how rides are scheduled and dispatched. 
  
While the MBTA cites higher fuel costs as a key factor to its increased unit costs, the Ride vendors have no incentive to economize the amount of gas used since the MBTA reimburses the vendors for fuel costs. 
  
We stand ready to work with the MBTA to identify and implement operational reforms, but are opposed to using pricing mechanisms that could put service out of reach for those who need it. 
  
Rick Morin 
  
Co-chairman 
  
Transportation committee 
  
Bay State Council of the Blind 
  
Waltham 
  
Regards, 
  
Rick Morin 
rick.morin at comcast.net 
781-373-1044 
  
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