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No Fare! MBTA Tight on Public Records
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: MBTA, Blog: Transparency, Blog: Transportation, Transparency /by Lauren CorveseThe MBTA has been attracting a lot of attention lately on how they could save money. But what about how the MBTA makes money? Pioneer wanted to look into fare collection practices on the commuter rail and revenue information during the MBTA’s contract with Keolis, but it seems we have hit a wall. Using the public records request service on www.muckrock.com, Pioneer sent two requests to the MBTA: one on March 12, 2015 for MBTA revenue information from 2014-present, and another on fare collection procedures submitted by Keolis and fare collection fines against Keolis from July 2014-present on June 9, 2015. Neither request was fulfilled within 10 calendar days, as the Massachusetts Public Records Law requires. Both required multiple follow-up emails […]
The Supreme Court and the EPA
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Sabrina ChishtiRecently, the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was not allowed to impose regulations on the emissions of power plants. A close 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the “appropriate and necessary” finding as outlined by the EPA’s regulations did not consider costs at the outset of the process. In short, the court wanted greater transparency. At the heart of the issue is the push and pull between keeping government agencies honest with their reporting (including cost-benefit analysis), and the power of Congress that allows them to do what they deem is “appropriate and necessary”. This is crucial to the development of governmental agencies and the degree to which they can operate independent of Congressional approval. The case raises […]
Thoughts on the Amtrak/MBTA Signal Debacle at Attleboro Station Last April
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: MBTA, Blog: Transportation /by Jacob TylerA 13 year-old boy damaged an Amtrak signal system along the Providence/Stoughton commuter rail line back in April. According to reports, the boy threw an object at the signal, suffering third-degree burns to his legs and causing long-lasting delays for commuter rail customers using the Franklin, Providence/Stoughton, and Needham lines. While delays are almost routine along these and other commuter rail lines, this one involved Amtrak and exactly whose responsibility it was to fix the problem left commuters scratching their heads. Historically, the Providence/Stoughton line has been plagued by delays due to anything from mechanical failures to signal problems. Quite often, the MBTA blames Amtrak for delays because Amtrak trains have priority over MBTA trains since they own and operate […]
The Pacheco Law wastes enough money to buy a brand new fleet of commuter rail locomotives
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: MBTA, Blog: Transportation /by Scott HallerPioneer released a report this morning demonstrating that the Pacheco Law (MGL Chapter 7, Sections 52-54) has cost the MBTA $450 million since 1997. That’s a big number, and big numbers can be pretty abstract. So let’s flesh it out to gain perspective on what the Pacheco Law’s restrictions really mean to MBTA riders. Last winter, more than 1.6 million commuter trips were either cancelled or delayed, stranding and frustrating MBTA commuters. The following chart shows the two month collapse of commuter rail service between January 23rd and March 20th. Would repealing the law’s hold on the MBTA do anything to address that? Well, Keolis largely attributed its poor performance to an aging fleet of locomotives, many of which are […]
Pioneer Institute Public Statement on MBTA Reforms in the Budget
/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: Transportation, Featured, News: Transportation /by Editorial StaffLast night, the legislature put the public interest ahead of politics by giving the administration and the MBTA’s management a set of tools that can lead to real improvements in service for T riders. Both the House and Senate came under enormous pressure from union lobbyists seeking to maintain the status quo. Yet Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg and budget conferees understood that real reform is needed at the T. They deserve our respect and admiration for not giving in to the special interest groups that so vehemently opposed meaningful change. Pioneer presented legislative leaders last week with a comprehensive analysis of the adverse financial effects of the Pacheco Law at the MBTA, which we are releasing to the public […]
RIP PARCC
/1 Comment/in Blog, Blog: Common Core, Blog: Education /by Scott HallerEconomies of scale are when a large operation can provide advantages by spreading fixed and overhead costs over a greater number of units sold, thereby reducing the per unit price. A simple concept, and one that proponents of national K-12 testing consortia made repeatedly. One of Pioneer’s favorite expressions of this economies of scale euphoria that broke out in Washington, DC, occurred in the offices of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in 2012 in response to a serious cost estimate Pioneer did on the Common Core (which was the first such cost estimate in the country). In that paper, the term “economies of scale” is found 13 times. Here is a quick sampling: The Common Core also offers the possibility […]
Highlights from the 24th Annual Better Government Awards Gala
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, Featured /by Editorial StaffWatch video clips below of Pioneer Institute’s 24th Annual Better Government Competition, and read the State House News Service‘s news bulletin entitled “Pioneer on a roll.” After listing recent policy victories, SHNS noted that: “Pioneer held its annual Better Government Competition with a focus on criminal justice reform. Ed Davis, former Boston Police Commissioner, gave the keynote address and talked about his transformation from a narcotics cop in Lowell to his discovery of community policing. Few areas of government need more original thinking than the criminal justice system, reversing the just arrest them and lock’em up mentality that has led to the US having 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. The winner of the Better Government Competition? The implementation of a charter […]
Fed Up With Faulty Fare Collection: Part II
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Sabrina ChishtiFed Up With Faulty Fare Collection Part II: New Ways to Collect Fares The problem Recently, we outlined the commuter rail’s fare collection woes. Oftentimes, conductors don’t collect fares or ask to see passes. For those with a monthly pass costing between $75 and $362, seeing others ride for free is troubling – to say the least. The issue is that Keolis, the commuter rail operator, lacks any meaningful incentive to collect fares. Since the company is penalized at only $500 per instance of improper fare collection, how can Keolis take the fines seriously enough to and evaluate and improve their policies? Meanwhile, the MBTA doesn’t have any way of knowing just how much money they are losing on “free” […]
Report Showing MBTA Pension Fund Performance “Too Good To Be True” Reinforces Pioneer Research
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: Pensions, Featured, Transparency /by Editorial StaffBOSTON – Stories in The Boston Globe (“Madoff whistle-blower: The T’s pension plan may be $470M short,” June 27th, and “T pension board’s new members call for tough review of fund,” June 29th) validate concerns about the management and condition of the MBTA Retirement Fund (MBTARF) that Pioneer Institute first raised in 2013 (“Have the MBTA’s Retirement Plans Gone Off the Rails?“), and many times since then (here, here, here, here, here, and here). According to the Globe, a new study by Harry Markopolos, the whistle-blower in the Bernard Madoff case, and Boston University professor Mark T. Williams, finds that the MBTARF may be overestimating its value by nearly half a billion dollars, as well as underestimating how long its […]
Pioneer and You – Together We Can Fix the T
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: Transportation, Featured /by Editorial StaffPioneer has been attacked in a recent radio (WBZ, WEEI, and elsewhere) campaign as “shark privatizers.” The ads falsely claim that Pioneer’s motivation for working on the MBTA crisis is so that our “corporate pals can get their hands on even more of our public facilities.” Listen to our response: Help us respond to the Amalgamated Transit Union’s attack with the real story. Yes, our research has indeed shaped the public debate over a time-limited control board that will need to get the T working in a way that is worthy of our great state. And the reason we do it is because we know how important reliable transit is to 1.3 million riders, thousands of employers, and the region’s economic […]
A Pretty Much Guaranteed Free Ride
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: Transparency, Blogroll /by Mary ConnaughtonThere’s no such thing as a free ride. Ask any accountant and he or she will tell you that there’s always a cost involved. Some businesses give free samples to market their products – a cost to grow revenue. Others give their products or services away because of inadequate controls. The MBTA falls into the latter category. There is a growing buzz about sporadic fare collection on the commuter rail. Riders may or may not be charged because of the number of conductors or riders on any given train. Non-pass holding riders know the odds well – in time, they’ll get to work or home without forking over a dime. It’s a waiting game. But there are some pretty much […]
Fixing Our Troubled Justice System – 2015 Better Government Awards Gala
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government, Featured /by Editorial StaffThis Wednesday evening, Pioneer Institute is recognizing the most innovative proposals from non-profits and community groups, law enforcement agencies, and policymakers across the U.S. on the topic, “Improving Public Safety and Controlling Costs in America’s Criminal Justice System.” The winner, runners-up, and special recognition awardees will be honored at a June 24th awards gala at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. At the awards gala, Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker will provide welcome remarks, and former Boston police commissioner, Edward F. Davis, will deliver the keynote address. Watch Videos of the Winner and Runners Up: Read the 2015 Better Government Competition Compendium of Winning Entries: Pioneer Institute’s Better Government Competition, founded in 1991, is an annual citizens’ ideas contest that rewards some of the nation’s […]
Fed up with Faulty Fare Collection
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Sabrina ChishtiThe Problem: Angry Customers and Less Revenue Last Saturday was a busy day in the Hub. With the Boston Pride Parade and a Red Sox game both in full swing by midday, commuter rail lines were packed with people flowing into the city. Pioneer Institute learned that on at least one crowded Worcester/Framingham train, fares went uncollected. That means a free pass for much of the weekend crowd, who are less likely to hold monthly passes than daily commuters. Saturday’s lapse is not an isolated incident. In fact, inconsistent fare collection by conductors is a growing commuter rail complaint. For a daily commuter who pays between $75 and $362 for a monthly pass, it’s highly disturbing to see others ride […]
Massachusetts Financial Disclosures – Weak and Out of Reach
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Transparency, News, Transparency /by Kevin LawsonIn the last five years, 250 public servants in Massachusetts faced charges for crimes or ethics violations, according to the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), which rated Massachusetts a D+ on legislative accountability. In an interview with the CPI, George Brown, former chairman of the State Ethics Commission, attributed this dismal grade to a political culture that puts itself above the law. The state’s high rate of ethical lapses and low legislative accountability grade are by-products of our inadequate government transparency laws and policies. A key ingredient of government transparency is the Statement of Financial Interests (SFIs) elected officials and other policy-making appointees are required to file annually. When the thoroughness of or public access to SFIs is wanting, a […]
What Court Documents Show About Compensation at the MBTA vs. Peer Communities
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government, Blog: MBTA, Blog: Transparency, Blog: Transportation, News /by Matt Blackbourn and John SivolellaIntroduction As the Baker Administration works with the state legislature to determine the future course of the MBTA, a critical component of this deliberative process should be revisiting and interpreting the long-standing, often contentious history of interest arbitration between the MBTA and its public employee unions. The Boston Carmen’s Union, ATU Local 589, is the largest of the MBTA’s 28 bargaining units, representing roughly 3,500 employees over a range of 45 distinct job classifications—or approximately 55 percent of the MBTA labor force. The outcome of the MBTA’s negotiations with Local 589 typically sets a ‘pattern’ that the other MBTA unions follow. This method is not based on statute or in collective bargaining agreements, but is a practice that has emerged […]