Transit coard delays service but vote as opposition grows

DoWTon (AT) » The Boston area’s public transportation system won’t see major service cuts, at least for the moment.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s board on Monday deferred a vote on a service cuts proposed in the wake of plummeting ridership during the coronavirus pandemic.

MBTA General Manager Steven Poftak requested the board revisit the proposed cuts next week in light of recent developments, including development of COVID-19 vaccines and another possible round of federal stimulus to help shore up the agency’s budget.

He said the agency should continue to work with labor unions and other groups to find ways to reduce costs while preserving essential services.

The proposed cuts announced in November would eliminate weekend commuter rail services, 25 bus routes, all ferry service and subway service after midnight over the course of 2021 because of the drop in ridership and revenue during the pandemic.

Hours before Monday’s meeting, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh joined city councilors and pubic transportation advocates at a news conference calling on the MBTA not to move forward with the proposal.

The MBTA’s advisory board, which represents communities served by the transit agency, has also come out against cuts, particularly the elimination of ferry service and weekend commuter rail service.

Spending money for buses and trains with few riders makes no sense, Gov. Charlie Baker said later Monday.

“I think raising taxes to run more empty buses and trains is a bad idea,” Baker said. “I think running empty trains and buses as a general rule is bad public policy.”

The key question, he said, is what happens when riders come back.

“And I think the way the T’s planning to do this, so that they will be able to reinstate service pretty easily and pretty quickly if and when riders come back, is exactly the right way to be approaching this,” Baker said.