Post by Logan on Mar 5, 2016 10:12:49 GMT -6
Federal officials said the MBTA failed to follow civil rights guidelines that required the agency to fully examine whether the cancellation of late-night T service approved this week would disproportionately hurt minorities and low-income riders.
The MBTA said it began to conduct an analysis and its initial report suggested minorities and low-income riders would suffer from the cuts, but T officials never completed it because they decided that ending the service wasn’t a “major service change’’ that required a review.
The rebuke from the Federal Transit Administration comes as the MBTA’s board prepares to vote Monday to raise fares, a step many have decried as unfair to lower-income riders who are most dependent on the T. The T’s decision to forgo the civil rights analysis of the cutback was blasted by advocates who had argued that late-night service was an important service for riders who needed affordable transportation from night jobs.
“It’s outrageous,” said Rafael Mares, the vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation. “They shouldn’t end the service until they’ve done this. The whole point is to make sure there isn’t a negative impact on disadvantaged populations.”
Read more: www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/04/mbta-failed-consider-impact-cutting-late-service-minorities-and-low-income-residents-says-federal-agency/psMKdn0RCwO8mi6ajAMr6N/story.html
The MBTA said it began to conduct an analysis and its initial report suggested minorities and low-income riders would suffer from the cuts, but T officials never completed it because they decided that ending the service wasn’t a “major service change’’ that required a review.
The rebuke from the Federal Transit Administration comes as the MBTA’s board prepares to vote Monday to raise fares, a step many have decried as unfair to lower-income riders who are most dependent on the T. The T’s decision to forgo the civil rights analysis of the cutback was blasted by advocates who had argued that late-night service was an important service for riders who needed affordable transportation from night jobs.
“It’s outrageous,” said Rafael Mares, the vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation. “They shouldn’t end the service until they’ve done this. The whole point is to make sure there isn’t a negative impact on disadvantaged populations.”
Read more: www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/04/mbta-failed-consider-impact-cutting-late-service-minorities-and-low-income-residents-says-federal-agency/psMKdn0RCwO8mi6ajAMr6N/story.html