 "Photo: Marc Andrew Deley")
As a result of a $16 million budget deficit, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is considering eliminating programs popular among the late night college crowd.
Among the possible cuts are the Night Owl bus services, the late hours for the 86 Buses that run from the Reservoir T-Stop to Harvard, and the number of drivers on Green Line Trolleys.
Though no decisions have been finalized, the MBTA will be looking system wide to cut spending, said MBTA Spokesperson Joe Pesaturo.
The unusually low revenue for the Night Owl Service has MBTA officials considering eliminating it. Last year, it cost about $1.2 million to operate the service, but only $154,000 was collected. Annually, the service costs an average of $1.4 million, and is not covered by the two dollar fares.
"If they cut it I think they should extend the normal T hours because a lot of clubs and bars get out at 2 a.m. and the only other transportation available is taxis," said Jasmina Almeda, CSOM '07. "They're hard to find because everyone gets out at the same time. The Night Owl bus being cut is a big mistake."
The program has been running since 2001, which provides riders with a lift long after most other public transportation has stopped.
On weekend nights, buses are running regularly until 2:30 a.m. Because of the early morning hours and bus routes to Commonwealth Avenue, Huntington Avenue, and Cambridge, many of the riders are college students looking to avoid an expensive cab fare.
"Because BC is separated from Boston proper and students stay out later than the T runs, we will be forced to pay expensive cab fares if we want to stay out," said Justin Thornton, chief of staff of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC). "Boston is known as a college city and should cater to that."
City officials note that the buses are often a safe alternative to drunk driving. City Councilor Michael Ross has even called for the buses to run seven days a week, instead of only on weekends.
Ross also said that he is convinced that the Night Owl service has a direct correlation with drunk driving statistics, which have gone down since the inception of the Night Owl program.
UGBC is working closely with Ross, meeting twice and exchanging e-mails with the Back Bay and Fenway representative.
"The student government would like to see Night Owl kept, and even extended to Thursday [through the weekend]," said Thornton. "We will continue to work with Ross and send representatives to try and keep the Night Owl bus in service."
Though UGBC and Ross are calling for an extension of the program, its future could be bleak as the realities of the MBTA's tight budget are realized.
The New England Bus Transportation Association, which represents six bus companies under contract with the MBTA, has written a letter in order to ensure that they have a say in the authority's fiscal decisions.
The MBTA is also planning to run Green Line trolleys with a single driver in two and three car trains. When this change is implemented, the MBTA will try to improve trip times by allowing passengers to board through all doors, instead of lining up at the front door of each car to pay.
Though this change is estimated to save the authority $4 million to $8 million annually, many are raising questions about the compromised safety of T riders.
Some have said that a single operator would not be aware of people stuck in the doors of rear cars, or when an accident occurs between an automobile and a train car.
With a single T operator, an automated paying system where passengers swipe fare cards will replace the collection system of tokens or cash. The new system will begin next month on the Silver Line.
The MBTA will also add 25 more police officers to their force of 247, all of whom will have the right to perform spot checks for fare payment.
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