FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2017

CONTACT
Emily Fitzmaurice, Massachusetts Democratic Party, 617-939-0808

MA Democratic Party Responds to MASSPIRG Study on MBTA ‘Reliability’

Slams Baker Administration for ‘Insult to Riders’

BOSTON – Responding to a MASSPIRG study criticizing the MBTA’s public reliability metrics, the Massachusetts Democratic Party today issued the following statement:

“The MBTA’s claim that the subway is 90 percent reliable is absolute nonsense and those of us who rely on public transportation know that. Under Governor Baker, the T has a history of promoting misleading statistics, and these ‘reliability’ metrics are an insult to riders who deal with daily overcrowding, weekly breakdowns, and frequent delays,” said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford. “For nearly three years, Governor Baker has prioritized budget cuts and privatization at the T over improving service for riders, and the results are clear: declining ridership, poor service, and no plan to make things better other than waiting for the arrival of new trains ordered by his predecessor. MBTA riders deserve a Governor who will put them first.”

Background

A MASSPIRG study released today criticizes reliability metrics published by the MBTA that do not account for on-time performance, in-route service disruptions, or overcrowding, noting that “despite customer service surveys that indicate over 40 percent of riders find the MBTA’s service unreliable, the reliability ratings published on the Dashboard often hover around 90 percent.”

Despite rapid population growth and declining unemployment in Greater Boston, MBTA ridership has declined over the last three years, as the Baker Administration’s fare hikes and unreliable service have pushed riders to other methods of travel. Ridership grew significantly in the four years before Governor Baker took office, but under Governor Baker’s leadership, ridership has steadily declined.

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