On-Board Train Tickets to Cost $3 More Starting July 1
In addition to the MBTA commuter rail rate hikes that start July 1, riders will have to pay $3 more for a ticket to Boston if they do not buy a ticket in advance or use a pass.
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Commuter rail riders getting onboard at Reading station will pay an additional $3 for a ride to Boston unless they buy a ticket or pass ahead of time, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority announced on this week.
On July 1, the rate for a one-way trip to Boston from Reading station, in Zone 2, will go from $4.75 to $9. But the same ride will cost $12 if a rider does not get on board with a ticket or pass in hand - even though there's nowhere to buy a ticket in town.
The move is designed to reduce the amount of time that conductors spend collecting fares.
Previously, the T charged $1 more to buy a ticket onboard during off-peak times and $2 during peak times if riders did not purchase a ticket beforehand. But that fee was always waved if there wasn’t a store or ticket machine at the station where the passenger was boarding the train. That was the case at Readig station, where this is no store nearby that sells tickets and no fare machine.
But that's no longer the case. Commuter rail riders will need to have a ticket or pass in hand when they board the train in order to avoid paying an additional $6 for roundtrip travel to Boston.
On July 1, regular riders who have a monthly pass will see the cost go up from $151 to $189.
But single-trip riders or daytrippers could face sticker shock if they get on board without a ticket.
The T suggests riders use its smartphone app to buy tickets, but that system will not be online when the new fares are rolled out on July 1. It is expected to start sometime this fall.
The T said it will make both rates clear on its website and on its printed schedules. Since there is not a place to buy a ticket or pass at every station, the T said it has kept the on-board cash option.
But by charging $3 more, it hopes to push even more people to buy a ticket beforehand – something it says will help free up conductors to check pass and allow the trains to run on schedule.
“By reducing the number of cash transactions on board, the structure leads to customer service improvements,” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in a prepared statement explaining the changes. “First, conductors can move more quickly through the train so that all tickets and passes can be verified, helping to reduce fare evasion; second, with less time devoted to cash transactions, more time is available to attend to doors, which results in speedier boarding and exiting times.; This will also contribute to improved on time performance.”
Rob
11:58 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
This is hilarious. So it would cost my family $72 to get in and out of Boston by train? (actually $96 because they don't sell tickets in Reading) I could take a taxi that much. Even with one person at $18 round trip, it's generally cheaper to park in Boston. But I guess it's better than ask that MBTA workers to keep working past 55. I expect this will backfire and they'll lose money from lack of ridership.
And are the T conductors that busy that they can't spend a little extra time collecting tickets on board? Most of the time they're standing around doing nothing.
Dave Miskinis
4:38 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Rob...don't go to Boston. Stay in Reading or go to Woburn.
Liz Whitelam
6:32 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
When/why did Swiss Bakers stop selling tickets?
Rob
7:17 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Dave, I'll go to Boston if I want to. It's unfortunate our public transportation system is less efficient and more costly than hiring a taxi or driving. And if the MBTA wasn't bleeding us taxpayers dry, out might not bother me as much.
Hal
10:25 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Rob, the T offers a discounted family fare. It is not included in the discounted fare section of their website. Call their Customer Service number and you can get the particulars. I've used it before and it offers a decent discount. I don't know what the fare will be under the new fee structure.
Reading Resident
10:00 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
The prices are not accurate in this article. According to the MBTA website, it costs $6 one way from Reading if you buy a ticket before you board. If you buy it on board (with a $3 surcharge) it will be $9 NOT $12. See ticket information here: http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/charlie/?id=24360#Rail_Ferry
M
8:43 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Reading Resident - I saw that same link you posted, but elsewhere on the MBTA site there is what appears to be conflicting information, i.e., it lists the price as $9 each way http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/rail/
and if you read the 2nd link a certain way, it is difficult to see whether the asterisk next to the $9 indicates that the $9 is a "discounted" fare or whether you get the $3 discount off the $9. However, your link, showing a $6 price, helps to make the other MBTA link I posted more clear, I think. So, the article does appear to be incorrect. Moreover, most of the stories surrounding this issue said that the fees were going up around 30%,(consistent with a one-way increase from $4.50 to $6), not 100% (4.50 to 9.00). Since you cannot buy your ticket at Reading station, since the smart phone app is not available, and, most importantly, NOT EVERYONE HAS SMARTPHONES - AND NOT EVERYONE HAS IPHONES (most of the present apps are IPHONE or Android OS, nothing for blackberry) --effectively, we are being hit with a 100% fare increase for at least a one-way trip (presumably if you want to save the $3 on the return trip you'll buy your ticket at North Station). There is no incentive to try to buy tickets in advance, though, b/c they expire in a month. If MBTA wants advance ticket sales they should bring back the 12 ride pass that has no expiration.
Wendy
12:24 am on Monday, June 25, 2012
Add the cost of parking to the cost of the ticket and driving is a better option! Has any one noticed how many empty spaces there are around the Reading depot? Are they empty because of price or unemployment? Btw what is the story with the leased spaces?