MBTA riders took 333,000 daily trips in 2020, a fraction of the 1.26 million trips taken daily in 2019, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 

In response to dwindling ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, the MBTA announced service changes as part of its Forging Ahead initiative, which was created in response to the organization’s $580 million budget shortfall.

On Feb. 23, the MBTA service planning team held a virtual meeting to inform the public about the temporary schedule changes that go into effect in March and April and will affect commuter rail, ferry, subway, bus, and the RIDE paratransit services.

Beginning March 14, the MBTA will reduce the frequency on the Green Line, Orange Line, and Red Line by 20% and the Blue Line by 5%. Kat Benesh, MBTA chief of operations strategy, policy, and oversight, justified making these changes, claiming “the Blue Line and the RIDE, which is our paratransit division, have had the most durable, which means essentially the largest percentage of the ridership has continued to ride.” 

However the MBTA is not just running lines less frequently, it is temporarily suspending some altogether. The affected lines include routes 18, 52, 55, 68, 79, 212, 221, 465, 710. Direct Charlestown and Hingham ferry service is also being temporarily suspended.

The MBTA defended these suspensions by pointing out that there are readily available alternatives within a quarter mile or half mile. They encouraged  everyone who uses those routes to visit the MBTA trip planner to plan an alternative, particularly in those cases where they would be adversely affected by the changes. 

With respect to buses, the MBTA is working closely with Boston colleges and universities to provide 11% discounts on MBTA passes for students through the Semester Pass Program. Degree-granting colleges and universities with full-time course loads, and that are near MBTA transit lines, can offer the program.

As a result of 11 public meetings held during December 2020 during which the public gave their feedback on proposed service changes, MBTA’s Forging Ahead is set to begin in March and April, 2021 with assurances that they will still preserve equitable access and quality services for all the members of the community. 

Alex Train, director of housing and community development in Chelsea, disagrees. “Residents of Chelsea are heavily transit dependent. Approximately 30% of our residents don’t own any type of personal car or personal vehicles, so the MBTA service is an absolute lifeline for them,” Train said. “Many residents depend on [bus route] 112 to both traverse Chelsea to run errands like go to the grocery store or attend a doctor’s appointment at Mass General Hospital or to access other forms of public transportation.” 

Benesh said that the MBTA considers which routes are critical by analysing their use in “communities of color, low income populations, households with no or low car access, and a high number of senior riders or riders with disabilities. These routes have high ridership potential.” 

However that does not explain the suspensions to Train, who says the decision does not consider “a population that comprises foreign born and large concentrations of immigrant families that we work to serve on a daily basis through our city services and programs.”

Train spoke to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Chelsea. “Approximately 80% of our residents are frontline workers in our residents are the people that are sustaining the regional economy. They work in hotels, restaurants, they keep the airport going. They also manage the regional food supply. Therefore after the implementation of Forging Ahead, especially the service cuts of route 112, would create some unnecessary burdens for locals in Chelsea and other areas.” 

Due to public feedback, MBTA have changed their initial proposal of 70% available ridership to 75% to 80%. They have also continued bus service past midnight and kept service of the Green Line E to Heath St. intact. 

Nonetheless, Train believes that the MBTA does not take a holistic view, but rather “treats the Chelsea area as no different than a suburban area where the MBTA operates. However, these are communities that have higher public health concerns and they face heightened instances of air pollution, and they are also heavily transit dependent.” 

In terms of what lies ahead and to soothe the anxiety of local citizens, Terrie Chan, the community liaison from MBTA, said in an email statement, “We can increase service frequency when it’s needed, and we are adding service in areas where we’ve seen crowding and steady ridership throughout the pandemic. We can monitor ridership to add service if and when it’s needed. The priority services to add back will also depend on riders’ feedback.”

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