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Victor_Korchnoi t1_j6nzmn4 wrote

Reply to comment by itsonlyastrongbuzz in Wu wants to cut fares at Boston’s commuter rail stations. Is that really a good idea? (NO PAYWALL) by GlobeOpinion

The free bus lines mainly serve Roxbury and Mattapan, definitely not affluent places. Hyde Park and Readville are not really affluent places either. For reference, Brookline average household income is >120k.

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itsonlyastrongbuzz t1_j6o0tz4 wrote

If you’re going to make bus lines in the city free, those are probably good ones ones to go with.

The problem is:

  • was that a good use of Federal money for COVID relief?

  • what do you do next year when the funds are dry?

  • is the commuter rail the best place to start serving the economically disadvantaged?

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Victor_Korchnoi t1_j6o22b8 wrote

Debatable.

Not sure. But it’s not my job to figure that out.

Yes. It absolutely is. People think of commuter rail riders as being affluent, and currently the commuter rail riders are relatively affluent…..because the poorer ones can’t afford a $13 round trip from Hyde Park to South Station. But there are a lot of people who could benefit from the fast transit in there neighborhood if the price was just cheaper. Hyde Park is not affluent. Roslindale is not affluent. These are middle class places; neither of these neighborhoods is in the top 10 richest in Boston.

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itsonlyastrongbuzz t1_j6o4ip8 wrote

People think of commuter rail riders as being affluent because the commuter rail schedule is built to service white collar working hours.

They’re not designed for the hospitality or service industry, or healthcare workers working 2nd or 3rd shifts.

I sort of don’t get what you’re saying about pricing being a barrier. If $13/round trip is too expensive, what does their commute currently look like?

Are they currently driving and parking downtown for less than that?

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Victor_Korchnoi t1_j6o6x0s wrote

I agree. There are other issues besides just price that make the commuter rail less attractive to lower wage workers. As a white collar worker, I can set my hours around the train schedule—most low wage workers cannot.

Most transit riders in Hyde Park are taking the 32 bus to Forest Hills and transferring to the Orange Line. There are about 10,500 rides on this bus route each weekday. Another 1500 on the 24 bus to Ashmont. Only about 1000 get on or off the commuter rail at Hyde Park

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