Aloisi: No T fare hikes for now
By Hillary Chabot | Friday, August 7, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics
Transportation Secretary James Aloisi said this morning that MBTA fare hikes will be on hold, along with a move to replace ousted General Manager Daniel Grabauskas, until an independent review of the agency is completed in November.
Aloisi even hinted that the nature of the general manager job, now overseen by a six-member board, could change.
“It may be that the model of the general manager changes and becomes a different model,” said Aloisi.
State officials agreed to pay Grabauskas nearly $330,000 in exchange for his resignation after a marathon bargaining session yesterday. Aloisi visited several Hub bus and subway stops and chatted with T riders this morning in an effort to improve customer service and “see things for myself.”
Gov. Deval Patrick has pushed for Grabauskas’ exit as he attempted to wrest control of the MBTA, which is mired in debt and suffers from service delays and safety issues. Under the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation, scheduled to be implemented in November, the current MBTA board will be abolished. A new five-member board appointed by Patrick will oversee all transportation departments, including the MBTA.
A fare hike and potential service cuts were supposed to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2010, but they are on hold pending a top-to-bottom review by former John Hancock chief David D’Alessandro.
Aloisi said he has already identified some cost savings, but declined to elaborate what they are.
The transportation czar also said Grabauskas had been “uncooperative,” recently which he called, “unacceptable.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1189825
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