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Press Releases: MBTA

Transportation
January 27, 2020

A Control Board Equipped for the Next Phase of MBTA Reform

In a new policy brief out today, Pioneer Institute calls on the Massachusetts Legislature to extend the life of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board beyond the current fiscal year ending on June 30, and adjust it to address the agency's new challenges.
American Citizenship, Transportation
October 23, 2019

Press Release: Pioneer Releases First in Series of Videos Promoting Commuter Benefits Program

Watch Pioneer's first animated video promoting Perq, the MBTA’s commuter benefits program, which can help individuals save money and restore work/life balance.
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
October 7, 2019

Study Proposes “Marshall Plan” for Attracting and Retaining Talent Needed to Modernize the MBTA

Better hiring practices and internal organization, external resources needed to deliver on expanded capital budget BOSTON – Going from much larger capital budgets to delivering the actual projects needed to repair and modernize the MBTA will require a “Marshall Plan” that includes...
Opportunity, Transportation
August 6, 2019

Study Calls for Easing MBTA Procurement Restrictions and Beefing Up Project Management Capacity

Reforms needed if T is to achieve increased capital spending targets to modernize the system and boost ridership Media Inquiries: Contact Micaela Dawson, Communications Director,  mdawson@pioneerinstitute.org BOSTON – The Massachusetts Legislature must free the MBTA from overly restrictive procurement methods and the...
Transportation
June 14, 2019

Pioneer Institute Public Statement: A Season for Management Reforms

The MBTA’s red and green line derailments this week highlight the system’s troubling condition and its impact on riders’ productivity and quality of life. We at Pioneer – most of us are regular riders – understand how vital the T is to...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
March 6, 2019

Whistleblowers Were Proven Right: MBTARF Was Underreporting Its Unfunded Pension Liabilities

In a new brief, Pioneer shows that whistleblowers’ 2015 claim that the MBTA Retirement Fund (MBTARF) had been underreporting its unfunded pension liabilities has proven to have been accurate. In their study, Boston University Professor Mark T. Williams and Bernie Madoff whistleblower Harry...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
March 4, 2019

Pioneer Institute Public Statement on the MBTA’s Proposal to Increase Fares by 6.3 Percent

While Pioneer Institute opposed the 2016 MBTA fare increases, the Institute believes that the T has earned an increase in fares of 6.3 percent, provided it is committed to introduce differential pricing, address chronic fare non-collection, fix the T’s faltering pension system,...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
December 3, 2018

Review of MBTA Twitter Alerts Finds Fewer “Delayed” Trains, Corresponding Increase in Those “Running Behind”

BOSTON – A review of four years of MBTA commuter rail Twitter alerts reveals that the number of trains that are “delayed” has fallen, but there is a commensurate increase in the number of trains classified as “running behind,” leaving the overall...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
November 29, 2018

Public Statement on MBTA Ridership & Pension Costs

Monday’s meeting of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board brought bad news on two fronts:  T ridership is down and pension costs are up.  Neither is a new problem, but both will require bold action to fix. Specifically, ridership was down...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
November 15, 2018

The Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth

Taking advantage of the public comment period, Pioneer Institute is today releasing its recommendations to the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Transportation.  The suggestions cover governance, budgeting and operations, the role of public transit during a period of transformative change and...