Local News

MBTA weighing income-based discounts

The Boston Globe

The MBTA is being encouraged to offer discounts for low-income riders.

The Boston Globe reports that advocates for low-income residents are urging the agency to consider a plan to make public transportation more affordable for riders that have the most difficulty paying. The MBTA recently tested income-based discounts for disabled riders, according to the Globe.

While the state’s transportation secretary has expressed support for the idea, one T official recently said such a program would require careful study.

“Some of the questions we’re still trying to answer is, how we would offset some of that revenue loss,’’ Laurel Paget-Seekins, the T’s director of strategic initiatives, told board members this week. “And how would we administer means-testing, and what partners would we work with to administer means-testing?’’

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The Globe reports that approximately one-quarter of the MBTA’s riders identified themselves as low-income, according to 2009 agency statistics.

Read the full Boston Globe story here.

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