Officials from the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority won’t have to tack on additional fare increases beyond the 23 percent spike that will happen on July 1.
The state Senate voted in favor of a $49 million bailout bill to cover the remainder of the transit agency’s fiscal 2013 budget gap.
State officials made the vote on Tuesday night, following a long and somewhat tense debate on Beacon Hill.
The Senate voted 26-9 in favor of the proposal, which was submitted by Governor Deval Patrick and approved by the House of Representatives last week.
The money to bailout the T is a one-time fix, and will come from the state’s vehicle inspection fees.
The move allowed transportation officials to stave off additional service cuts and fare increases in order to fund the looming budget gap.
“I thank the Legislature for its continued partnership as we work to close the MBTA’s budget gap for fiscal year 13,” said Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Rich Davey in a statement following the vote. “Quality public transportation is essential to getting people to and from work, expanding economic opportunity and fostering job growth across the Commonwealth. “
Davey said MassDOT and the MBTA are “committed to continuing to work with our legislative partners “ to find a long-term solution to the T’s ailing system and the state’s roads, bridges and highways.
“These measures will get us through the end of the fiscal year, but they are only a temporary solution,” said Senate President Therese Murray. “At the beginning of next year, we need omnibus legislation that looks closely at our road, bridge and transit systems.”
The bailout didn’t come without some backlash, however.
“This $51 million we came up with, to get them out of this year, could have gone back to our cities and towns in the form of local aid,” said Senator James Timility.
Michael Knapik, R-Westfield, referred to the move as a “hard pill to swallow.”
Prior to the vote, Senators swatted down a proposal to change the way the T handles its finances and operations.
The bipartisan proposal, if passed, would have allowed for “fresh voices” and “different talents,” to oversee the T’s daily operations, according to Senator Gale Candaras.
“There is widespread agreement that something needs to change,” said Candaras of the proposal.
As part of the package passed yesterday, the legislation also increases fare evasion penalties to $75 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense, and $350 for each subsequent offense.
The legislation also requires MassDOT board members to come up with a long-term transportation financing solution and deliver it to the state by December 31, 2012.
