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American Citizenship, Transportation
July 21, 2017

Public Statement: Pioneer Applauds MBTA Control Board For Seeking To Modernize Bus Maintenance

Pioneer applauds the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board’s long-overdue action to use a competitive bidding process to modernize bus maintenance services.  Seeking competitive bids on bus maintenance will likely produce cost savings and service improvement, as it has for the T’s...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
June 5, 2017

Report Calls on FMCB to Seek Legislative Intervention on Projected 18-Year, $1.485 Billion T Pension Shortfall

New evaluation commissioned by MBTA projects T contributions would increase by more than $1 billion under terms of current pension agreement BOSTON – With the current MBTA pension agreement set to expire in June 2018 and a new evaluation projecting a $1.485...
American Citizenship, Transportation
June 2, 2017

Op-ed: Shame on the Senate for undoing Pacheco Law exemption

By Jim Stergios   JUNE 02, 2017 The MBTA has hundreds of thousands of daily riders and 6,000 employees. You would think that the interests of the people consuming 1.3 million daily rides might matter more than those of 6,000 public employees....
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
April 5, 2017

Study: Evidence Suggests MBTA Pension Low-Balled Costs And Liabilities

Quarter-century of data shows costs at up to six times valuation assumptions, suggests MBTARF financial picture was made to appear artificially rosy BOSTON – Data from valuation reports and other financial documents suggest that suspect actuarial practices may have helped misstate the...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
March 28, 2017

Putting The T On A Clear Path To High Performance

Pioneer Institute recently submitted public testimony to the Fiscal and Management Control Board weighing in on the MBTA’s draft Strategic Plan. The Institute commends the Board for its work to date and recognizes that there is still much more work to be done to...
American Citizenship, Opportunity, Transportation
March 24, 2017

Study Finds MBTA Had Nation’s Highest Bus Maintenance Costs In 2015

Reducing costs to average of the most similar U.S. transit systems would have saved nearly $44 million For inquiries contact Micaela Dawson at mdawson@pioneerinstitute.org. View coverage of this report in the Boston Herald and on Fox 25. BOSTON – The most recent...
Opportunity, Transportation
March 1, 2017

The Power of Competition at the T

In 2015, right after record-setting snowfall shut down the region’s transit system, Pioneer developed governance and reform proposals to put the MBTA on a stronger fiscal footing. One of our reports concerned The Ride, the regional paratransit system for customers with disabilities,...
Opportunity, Transportation
February 24, 2017

Getting the T Back on Track

The reforms that the Massachusetts Legislature advanced at the MBTA just two short years ago are having a tangible impact on the T’s financial viability and operations. In the near term, more remains to be done to close the T’s annual budget...
American Citizenship, Opportunity
January 17, 2017

Report Calls for Independent Audit & Actuarial Valuation of T Pension Fund

Response commissioned by fund to whistleblower report dismissed or ignored red flags This report received press coverage in: The Boston Globe, The Boston Business Journal, and numerous radio and television outlets. BOSTON – The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) should...
Opportunity, Transportation
December 19, 2016

Pioneer Institute Statement On The MBTA Contract With The Carmen's Union

In February 2015, Pioneer Institute issued a statement citing the numerous problems that faced the MBTA and its riders. The release noted that the MBTA board, as then structured, had failed the public, resulting in a highly mismanaged system of mass transit in...