The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has proposed a 25 percent increase in the price of public transportation, increasing subway fare from $1.25 to $1.55 and bus fare from 90 cents to $1.15.
If the changes are approved this summer, the new prices will go into effect in January of 2007.
The last time the MBTA raised prices was in January 2004, when prices went from $1 to $1.25 for the subway, and from 75 cents to 90 cents for the bus.
The new budget plan was submitted on Mar. 9, giving the advisory board 90 days to make any changes. The current change of budget is scheduled to be approved in summer of 2006.
According to Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, the primary reason for raising prices is because the MBTA has an $8.1 million budget deficit.
This sort of debt means that the MBTA is "left without much of a choice" when it comes to raising prices, Regan said at a press conference.
Daniel Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, said at the press conference that the rise in the cost of fuel and the static number of T users are both large factors in the current financial trouble.
Additionally, the MBTA's contracts with 29 of the 30 unions whose workers they employ will expire on June 30, and a raise in fares may be crucial in negotiating new contracts this spring and summer.
Approximately 800,000 one-way rides are sold during the weekdays. The MBTA has tried to put the price increase in perspective for riders by pointing out that public transportation fares in other cities, such as New York and Philadelphia, are already charging $2 for a one-way fare.
Jeremy Marin of the Sierra Club in Massachusetts, who is against the price increase, told The Boston Globe that with the higher fare, "riders want to see something more...and deserve more."
These new changes will certainly affect Tufts students, many of whom rely on the T to get around the Boston area.
Senior Heather Kenney said that she thinks "a lot of students are dependent [on the T]...they're kind of at [the MBTA's] mercy."
Even students with cars often prefer to take the T as much as possible. Senior Nicole Shapiro said that she would continue to take the T if the prices rise even though she owns a car.
"I have a car," Shapiro said, "but parking is so expensive."
Freshman Emily Freedman believes her routine will not be affected by the increase in T fare.
"It won't make me less likely to take the T because the location of Tufts makes it imperative," Freedman said. "Hopefully the price increase will encourage the [Tufts Community Union] TCU Senate to look into increasing the frequency of Tufts-to-Boston shuttle service."
Although many Tufts students don't think that the price increase will deter people from using the T, they're not enthusiastic about the prospect of more expensive public transportation.
Some students, like senior Chris Farrokhnia, showed little enthusiasm for the T in general.
"I'm not a big fan of public transportation," Farrokhnia said.
