MBTA Fare Hikes and Service Cuts Take Effect Sunday
It will cost more to ride the T starting this weekend—and some routes will have decreased service.
On Sunday the MBTA's fare increases start. They're being imposed—along with service cuts—to close the transit agency's $160 million budget gap. Most of those service cuts also begin Sunday.
In Needham, the local Commuter Rail line will be cut on Saturdays beginning July 7—delayed one week because of the July 4 events planned in Boston. The Needham Line already does not run on Sundays.
There are other changes, like an increase in the surcharge for getting your Commuter Rail ticket on the train (if the station where you board has ticket machines). THE RIDE will add a more expensive $5 zone starting Oct. 1.
For a complete list of changes taking place on the MBTA system beginning Sunday, visit this T link or check out the PDFs attached to this post.
Here's a look at the new costs:
Bus
| Type of ticket | Cost |
| CharlieCard | $1.50 |
| CharlieTicket | $2.00 |
| Seniors and students | $0.75 |
Rapid transit/subway
| Type of ticket | Cost |
| CharlieCard | $2.00 |
| CharlieTicket | $2.50 |
| Seniors and students | $1.00 |
Bus and Subway Passes
| Type of pass | Bus | Rapid transit | Combination bus and rapid transit |
| 7-day | $18.00 | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Monthly | $48.00 | $70.00 | $70.00 |
| Seniors and students | $28.00 | $28.00 | $28.00 |
| 5-day student | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
Commuter Rail
|
Sarah
6:46 am on Saturday, June 30, 2012
I had heard even if you could not get a ticket at a train station the price would still go up.
Carol
5:06 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012
The MBTA has reversed two recent policies--see http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/west_roxbury/2012/06/single-ride_10-ride_commuter_r.html
Tickes will be good for longer and the extra fee will not be charged if they don't sell tickets at your stop:
"Single-ride tickets and 10-ride passes for the commuter rail are now valid for 90 days after they are purchased, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. ... On Thursday, the transportation authority announced it had backpedaled on a contentious plan to, starting July 1, impose a $3 fee on all commuter rail riders who buy tickets on board. Pesaturo told the Globe Thursday that the T will instead add the $3 charge, starting Sunday, only when riders buy tickets on trains after boarding at stations where they can be conveniently purchased."