We wanted to bring to your attention the MTBA’s latest proposal to address its serious budget shortfall. The MBTA is proposing to eliminate some service to the Tufts Medford/Somerville campus and to reduce routes in and around Boston that may have a major impact on access for faculty, staff and students. Proposed changes would affect subway, bus and commuter rail.

The routes that would be affected include the #80 and #96 buses, serving Medford, as well as many others. The proposal also includes fare increases of 35% to 45%.

Please take a few minutes to review this information so that you will understand how these changes might affect your daily commute to work or other trips for which you rely on public transportation. Complete information is available at http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/?id=23567.

The MBTA has been holding meetings in affected communities to allow users of public transportation to express their concerns. We encourage you to add your voice so that MBTA officials understand the full impact of these proposed service eliminations. You can write a letter, send an email or attend one of the remaining scheduled meetings. Meeting dates and contact information are listed below.

Public meetings:

• February 28th –Somerville High School Auditorium, 81 Highland Avenue, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23598)

• February 29th – Cambridge City Hall Council Chambers, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23581)

• March 1 – Waltham Government Center, 119 School Street, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23599)

• March 6 – Brockton, Massasoit Community College, 1 Massasoit Boulevard, Liberal Arts Building, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23618)

A list of all public meeting dates and locations can be found at http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/.

Letters should be addressed to:

Fare Proposal
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910
Boston, MA. 02116

Email address: fareproposal@mbta.com