Techie’s ties to firm wooing T discovered

The MBTA’s chief technology officer — plucked earlier this year from Boston startup Bridj — still owns a stake in the company, which is pitching a $1.5 million proposal to T officials to run their nowdefunct late-night service.

David Block-Schachter, hired in February to revamp the T’s technology, disclosed he owns between 1 and 3 percent of Bridj in employee stock options, acquired when he helped start the private transit company as its chief scientist.

Bridj is in preliminary talks with the T to restart latenight service, saying in a bid outlined to the T this week that it could provide up to 10 buses for five hours a night for an annual cost of $1.55 million.

Block-Schachter wrote that any request for a proposal he’d work on “is unlikely to have Bridj as a direct bidder,” but he said that the technology he helps procure could “indirectly benefit Bridj and companies like Bridj by, for example, enabling the MBTA to more directly contract with alternate providers’ transportation service.” He checked a box indicating he believes he “can perform my official duties objectively and fairly.” The disclosure was first reported by Boston magazine.

Bridj founder Matthew George said the company has had no talks with Block-Schachter “in any professional context” since he left.

T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said Block-Schachter has “no role whatsoever” in the Bridj proposal.

Members of the T board did not take any action on the Bridj proposal at a Monday meeting, and said they wanted to await the results of a survey being conducted with a non-profit and the city of Boston that can help shape what riders are looking for from late-night service.