Taking the T home for winter break will cost Jumbos the traditional $1.25. When returning, however, students will have pay as much as $2 for a ride.
According to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Web site, fares will increase starting Jan. 1, 2007.
The exact price per ride will depend on the method of payment.
CharlieCards, currently being distributed to passengers by MBTA personnel at T stations, are plastic cards which "passengers can put money on ... by inserting tokens, cash or credit cards in new vending machines," the Web site said.
With a CharlieCard, a ride on the T will cost $1.70, and a bus ride will be $1.25. Passengers paying with cash or a paper CharlieTicket will be charged $2 for the T and $1.50 for the bus.
"Commuter rail fares would go up as well. For example, a one-way fare from Andover to North Station would rise from $5 to $6.25," according to an article in the Boston Globe.
The lower CharlieCard fares are to encourage their use and speed up the travel process.
"To get through fare gates, riders will just tap their CharlieCard against a digital reader. Charlie-Tickets have to be inserted, which takes longer, as does giving cash to bus drivers," the Globe article said.
According to officials, the price increase has multiple reasons. "T officials say the changes are designed to generate more money while getting rid of unfair quirks that have accumulated over the years," the article said.
When the fare hike was initially proposed in April 2006, the estimated increase was 25 percent. This would have put T prices at $1.55 per ride and bus prices at $1.15.
Without a CharlieCard, T fares will be in line with prices in New York City and Philadelphia, where both subway and bus rides are $2, according to the MBTA's press release.
- Sarah Butrymowicz
