Fixing the MBTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority appears set to cut late-night service because of its long-running budget difficulties, in spite of vocal opposition from community members, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and other local officials. After the cuts, the T’s service would end at 12:30 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The decision to cut late-night T service is regressive and deeply disappointing. Nighttime public transit is more than simply an issue of convenience for local residents. It is an issue of equity for people who live far away from their workplace, or whose commutes begin or end outside the T’s limited hours of operation.

Access to public transportation is a barrier to Boston’s becoming a world-class city. Opponents of the cuts argue that late-night public transportation service is crucial to making Boston a livelier city and allows for restaurants and other businesses to stay open later.

Under both Governors Deval L. Patrick '78 and Charlie D. Baker '79, the Commonwealth has taken steps to retool Boston's image as a 21st century magnet city for tech start-ups, universities, and young professionals. This effort has been paying off. In January, for example, General Electric announced that it would move its headquarters to Boston. Eliminating late-night T service makes this pitch harder, given the transit systems of other cities like New York’s subway, which runs 24 hours a day.

Supporters of the cuts, including the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board, note that the late-night subsidy is $13.38 per rider, compared to $1.43 for normal service. These budget concerns are real, and MBTA administrators face a raft of difficult choices. Its current operating deficit of $170 million is projected to reach $240 million next year. Long-run infrastructure outlays may cost billions, as aging infrastructure has to be maintained, replaced, or expanded.

But as Governor Baker pointed out in an open letter last May, resolving this long-term budget pinch will have everything to do with changes to the way the MBTA negotiates contracts and invests strategically in its infrastructure. In the context of these enormous sums, the $14 million annual cost of late-night T service is a drop in the bucket. Cutting the program will do nothing to change the fact that the MBTA needs a much larger budget overhaul.

If the cost of funding trains and buses to run at night is truly too onerous, then the MBTA should consider other ways of economizing. MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve has said he is open to the idea of contracting out late-night transportation to private companies like Bridj, Uber and Lyft.

There will be legal hurdles to overcome. Uber and Lyft have been sued by passengers who claim they have been discriminated against on the basis of their disabilities by the two ridesharing rivals. Uber in particular has argued that it is a technology company and not a transportation company, exempting it from the Americans With Disabilities Act's requirements. Any private contractors used in lieu of the T's late-night service should not attempt to dodge regulations designed to accommodate those with disabilities. But these challenges can and should be resolved in ways that make late-night transportation available to everyone in the Boston area. And an effective public-private partnership would do even more to further Boston’s reputation as a dynamic, innovative, and desirable place to live and work.

The MBTA’s budget is broken, and it’s time to make the hard choices to fix it. But cutting late-night T service is not the solution to the problem; it is merely a shortsighted fix.