Transportation

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) faces an uncertain financial future over the next five years. With debt service payments increasing, along with other costs, the MBTA will face sizeable budget gaps forcing the Authority to choose among unhealthy options to close these structural deficits. These options primarily include: further dramatic fare increases, service reductions, or more borrowing.

The 2006 Scorecard looks at the most important public interest votes taken between February 9, 2005 and February 1, 2006 in the U.S. Congress. These votes determined the direction of federal policy on critical issues ranging from environmental preservation to health care to consumer protections.

Greater Boston's Night Owl service is endangered. Budget cuts and systematic under-funding of public transportation have put the Night Owl on the chopping block this spring. This report compares Greater Boston's nighttime public transportation service with that of other similar transportation systems across the country and finds that, out of eleven comparable systems, Boston is one of only two that do not offer some form of nighttime service on weeknights. And cutting current weekend Night Owl service would make Boston one of only two comparable cities that fail to provide nighttime weekend service. Of the two cities, Boston, MA and Atlanta, GA, Boston's service shuts down earlier.