Selectmen: Don't Cut Our Bus Lines

Arlington’s selectmen are not OK with losing several bus routes in town, and they’re reaching out to state legislators to send a message to the MBTA: You may even hike fares, but don’t take our buses away.

On Monday, the passed a resolution to contact state representatives, asking them to send a message to the transportation agency:

"Please pass along our extreme grumpiness to the MBTA," Chair Clarissa Rowe said.

Selectman Dan Dunn said the MBTA is underfunded by the State House, and it should be up to legislators to allocate more money to the transportation agency.

His proposal was backed up by a unanimous vote by the board.

"We don’t want to be encouraging car use going into Boston," Rowe said. "We want to encourage public transportation. I think this is a terrible mistake."

The MBTA has proposed two dramatic scenarios to balance the agency’s budget. Under scenario one, bus and subway fares would increase by 43 percent, from $1.70 to $2.40 per subway ride and $1.25 to $1.75 per bus ride.

Under scenario two, as many as seven routes going through Arlington could be cut. One of the few remaining would be route 77, one of the town’s most used lines, according to Senior Planner Laura Wiener.

“I don’t like either one of them, but if I had to choose, I’d go with fare increase and not lose those buses,” Selectman Kevin Greeley said. “I think we need to encourage public transportation and not discourage it.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, state Rep. Sean Garballey, whose district includes Arlington, will hold office hours to discuss the MBTA proposal. The event happens from 7 to 9 p.m. at Robbins Library’s lower level community room.