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MBTAAnalysis: A look inside the MBTA
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The MBTA shuttles over a million passengers a day around Greater…


Contracting with private providers could avert MBTA cuts
In response to a collapse in MBTA service in the winter of 2015, the newly formed Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) set the authority on a course of bold reforms. The COVID-19 pandemic is once again presenting new and significant challenges to T leadership that require a rethinking of how service is delivered to stave off painful service cuts.

Pioneer Institute Statement on MBTA Service Cuts
Even as MBTA ridership and revenue have been gutted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the system remains a lifeline for so many residents in the Greater Boston area, especially those working in essential services like health care or in industries most impacted by the pandemic such as the restaurant sector. Facing a crisis of this magnitude, T leadership must first do its all to rethink how it delivers services before reflexively making cuts.

During construction, the Allston Mass. Pike project must address commuters’ needs
As part of the state’s $1 billion reconfiguration of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Allston, Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack recently announced that a narrow strip of land known as “the throat,” will be considered for an at-grade option in addition to a proposal to rebuild the highway viaduct by Boston University.

COVID-19 Silver Lining: MBTA Takes Advantage of Ridership Lull to Accelerate $8.5 Billion Modernization Program
Pioneer Institute congratulates the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) and MBTA management for taking advantage of the precipitous ridership declines due to the COVID pandemic to dramatically accelerate ongoing construction projects.


It’s Time for the MBTA to Actively Engage Riders to Understand Their Commuting Plans
The MBTA should conduct a survey of mTicket app users regarding their future plans. Some may never work in offices again. Some will certainly do some workdays in the office and some at home. Others will be in offices and back to business as usual at some point.
Using their responses, the T can calculate ridership and determine projected revenue.

Study Highlights Transit Agency Best Practices in Response to COVID-19
The MBTA is taking a number of important steps to mitigate risks associated with the coronavirus, but some transit agencies around the country - from Philadelphia to San Francisco - have done significantly more, according to a new study that highlights the best practices of U.S. transit systems in response to COVID-19.

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.

Employers should offer commuter benefits to employees
There is no single solution to solve our traffic congestion crisis, but offering employees commuter benefits programs, which bring economic and environmental benefits, among others, can help.

VIDEO: Attract & Retain Top Employees Through Perq!
In part two of a new three-part animated video series, Pioneer…

An easy transportation fix? Commuter benefits
This op-ed appeared in The Boston Business Journal on October…

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.

Study Proposes “Marshall Plan” for Attracting and Retaining Talent Needed to Modernize the MBTA
Better hiring practices and internal organization, external resources…

Study Calls for Easing MBTA Procurement Restrictions and Beefing Up Project Management Capacity
Reforms needed if T is to achieve increased capital spending…

Pioneer Institute Public Statement: A Season for Management Reforms
The MBTA's red and green line derailments this week highlight…

Three Cheers for the MBTA’s Perq Commuter Benefits Program
Late last year, the MBTA rolled out a promotional campaign to…

The Metro & the MBTA: Raising Fares May Not Be Enough
New York City and Boston are drastically different cities, but…

Whistleblowers Were Proven Right: MBTARF Was Underreporting Its Unfunded Pension Liabilities
In a new brief, Pioneer shows that whistleblowers’ 2015 claim…

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,…

Drop in MBTA Commuter Rail Ridership Continues
A recent Boston Globe column by Northeastern University Professor…

After Win Number Six, Transit is Still a Loss
How was your commute yesterday? Odds are, it wasn’t good.…

A Win for Commuters
We are thrilled that the MBTA is moving forward to expand its…

Moving the MBTA Forward
We are pleased that former Pioneer Institute Research Director…

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…

Public Statement on MBTA Ridership & Pension Costs
Monday’s meeting of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control…

Rebuilding the Long Island Bridge May Not Be the Answer
From the 1920s to 2014, Boston Harbor’s Long Island played…

The Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth
Taking advantage of the public comment period, Pioneer Institute…

Commuter Rail Twitter Reveals History of Delays
An easy way to bond with fellow Bostonians is to complain about…

A Public Transit that Neglects Its Public
Two of a community’s most important hubs are its colleges and…