The T gave its ridership a nice Fourth of July holiday greeting and thank you – a 23% fare raise.
With the new fares now in effect, riders will begin feeling the higher prices for rapid transit on every ride going forward.
Facing a $160 million deficit – and facing a larger one next year – the T was forced to raise fares and in places, to cut services in order to have income meet expenses.
But even with the cuts and fare increases, the T is nowhere near meeting its obligations without considering further increases in order to cut the deficit.
The increase went into effect system wide Sunday.
There were several protests in Greater Boston over the weekend as T riders complained of the increases.
Everett remained quiet. Riders took their medicine without public complaint.
However, those elderly and handicapped relying on The Ride were grappling with a doubling of the cost for the service, single short rides have gone from $2.00 each way to $4.00 each way.
For those on Social Security relying almost entirely on The Ride to get around, the fare increase is steep.
Monthly passes have gone from $59 to $70
T officials, including General Manager Jon Davis, are predicting a huge surge in ridership in the coming year.