Mayor Thomas Menino said earlier this week in a letter to MBTA General Manager Richard Davey that T riders should not be forced to shoulder the entire weight of its incredible debt.
The mayor was responding to complaints coming in from Charlestown, Beacon Hill, Back Bay and nearly all of Boston’s neighborhoods where riders depend on the T as their primary source of transportation.
Here, the T is apparently anticipating cutting one of two major bus routes – a possibility that has shocked local residents.
For its part, the T is trying to bridge the gap in revenues and expenses and is said to be facing a $160 million deficit.
“I am favoring a gas tax rate adjustment or another levy of some kind that takes the pressure off of the riders. The riders shouldn’t have to pay for the T’s money problems,” he told the Patriot-Bridge.
The T is now holding public hearings throughout Greater Boston in those cities, towns and neighborhoods which will likely be impacted by cuts in service.