We cannot argue with the reality of the current situation, though. As a result, we are asking the MBTA to take the following steps before further cutting late-night service on any route:
- Separate the routes when conducting late-night analyses
- Analyze late-night data from the current fiscal year (the presentation available on the FMCB website exclusively shows data from FY15, which overlooks all cost-saving measures that went into place at the beginning of FY16)
- Conduct an analysis of late-night service that uses comparable Night Owl service as a benchmark
- Allow the ROC to view the FY16 late-night data
- To offset costs of late-night service for each route on weekends, implement scheduling efficiencies on each respective route during system shut-down on weekdays (by decreasing idle time resulting from last trains/buses)
- Increase fares on late-night routes
- Look into eliminating late-night service on lines that require the highest MBTA subsidy per rider
- Look into implementing larger headways on routes prior to the start of late-night service
- Wherever it is allowed by maintenance, look into running one vehicle (most likely a bus) on select routes throughout the entire night, every night (lifeline service) in lieu of current late-night service
- Before cutting current late-night service, ensure that a new option is in place (lifeline service, Bridj, etc.)