A coalition of young Bostonians want a $10 MBTA youth pass. Photo: Affordabili(T)
As a state board controlled by the Patrick administration readies Registry of Motor Vehicles fee increases, young MBTA riders plan to march to the state transportation building Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. for a rally and “die-in” to appeal for a $10 per month MBTA youth pass.
“We’ve been bringing this issue to the MBTA for more than seven years,” march organizer Javon Morris, 17, said in a statement released before the rally. “The T is continuing to raise fares and ignoring the fact that many youth depend on public transit and already can’t afford it.”
Rally organizers acknowledge that the $10 pass, which would be available to anyone between 12 and 21 years old, would offer a substantial discount from current fare levels, but argue that too many young people have already been priced out of using the transportation system and are missing out on education, work and cultural opportunities.
Organizers plan to urge state officials to pilot the reduced-fare youth pass or, if not, to ensure that students, who are eligible for transit discounts, are protected from a planned 5 percent fare hike. Young people plan to attend a 1 p.m. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board meeting at 10 Park Plaza to call for adoption of their proposals.
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