WBTS (NBC10 Boston), 4/4/23
MBTA Trails Other Major Transit Agencies in Bringing Back Riders, Data Shows
"I think it has to do with the fact that the T is unreliable and infrequent and people don't trust it," said Brian Kane, executive director of the independent MBTA Advisory Board
There's been a springtime sense of optimism surging through major metropolitan area transit systems. Just not at the MBTA.
Ridership across the board remains depleted compared to before the pandemic, but at several other agencies, the years-long recovery has reached new peaks.
The New York City Subway hit 71% of pre-COVID ridership on March 16, drawing a celebratory press release from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Amid cherry blossom season in the nation's capital, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provided 405,000 heavy rail trips on March 23, a post-pandemic record that prompted GM Randy Clarke to proclaim "it's busy out there!"
Here in Massachusetts, with incoming MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng preparing to take the reins, the performance provides little cause for celebration. Ridership on the MBTA's core subway system has languished amid months of disruption, including safety-related closures and staff-related weekday service cuts. More recently, slow zones have spread across the system, even as passengers continue to flock to the commuter rail in growing numbers.
While most transit agencies have experienced seasonal ups and downs in ridership, they appear to be on a gradual upward trajectory from the spring 2020 lows. The T's subway system, by contrast, is stuck on a plateau: the four major lines collectively hit a high of about 55% pre-COVID average weekday ridership in October 2021 and have not advanced much beyond that milestone in the 16 months since then.
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