Fare-free
Mayor Wu’s victory lap over extending Boston’s “fare-free” bus pilot (“Boston to spend $1M to increase fare-free MBTA bus pilot,” Feb 20) depends on magical pondering and an entire disregard for fiscal actuality.
First, there isn’t a such factor as a free bus experience. The mayor’s workplace celebrates that riders are utilizing their transit financial savings to pay for hire and groceries, however conveniently ignores the place that $17.34 million got here from. That cash was extracted from taxpayers who now can’t spend these {dollars} on their very own hire, groceries, and households. Calling it “free” is only a handy solution to ignore whose pockets are being picked.
Second, boasting a couple of 35% spike in ridership isn’t proof of sensible coverage — it’s simply primary economics. If you happen to subsidize a service right down to $0, demand will artificially skyrocket.
The largest deception, nonetheless, is the funding. The mayor desires to make this everlasting, but it’s at the moment bankrolled by finite, one-time federal COVID-19 aid funds (ARPA). Utilizing momentary emergency cash for recurring operational bills is a fiscal bait-and-switch.
The substitute cash is drying up. It’s time for Metropolis Corridor to drop the fantasy and admit what this political pandering really prices
Gary Durst
North Billerica
Power fund
A single mom having bother juggling work and reasonably priced childcare…a family having a tough time coping with the excessive costs for meals and hire…a father who not too long ago misplaced his job. For a lot of Massachusetts households in momentary disaster, decrease temperatures have them dealing with one other chilly actuality…not with the ability to pay the month-to-month power invoice.
The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Power Fund, sponsored by 18 power service suppliers within the state and administered by The Salvation Military, is commonly the final resort for households who’re in want of a serving to hand and who haven’t certified for federal and state help packages. Sadly, we anticipate the urgency of must proceed to escalate all through the remainder of the winter and into the spring. With this in thoughts, these in want of power help ought to go to their native Salvation Military Service Middle or name 800-262-1320 in the event that they dwell in space code 413 or 800-334-3047 in the event that they dwell in space codes 339, 351, 508, 617, 774, 781, 857, or 978.
To assist us fulfill the greater than 1,500 requests for support anticipated this winter and spring alone, we attraction to everybody within the Massachusetts space to hitch their fellow residents within the Commonwealth and the Fund’s sponsoring power corporations to “Give the Present of Heat.” Folks can donate through the use of the inexperienced Good Neighbor Power Fund donation envelopes discovered as an insert of their month-to-month utility payments, scanning the QR code featured on the donation envelope or by means of the “add a greenback” program some power corporations provide. Residents also can donate with a bank card by visiting magoodneighbor.org or by writing a examine payable to “The Good Neighbor Power Fund” and sending it c/o The Salvation Military, 25 Shawmut Highway, Canton, MA 02021-1408.
On behalf of all of the households in want, thanks!
Justin Stearns
Chairperson, 2026 Massachusetts Good Neighbor Power Fund
