HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 375        FILED ON: 1/14/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 943

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Tom Sannicandro

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act Relative to the rights of commuter rail patrons..

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

1/14/2011

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

2/2/2011


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 375        FILED ON: 1/14/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 943

By Mr. Tom Sannicandro of Ashland, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 00943) of Chris Walsh and Tom Sannicandro for legislation to protect the rights of passengers on commuter rail trains. Joint Committee on Transportation.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3315 OF 2009-2010.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

 

An Act Relative to the rights of commuter rail patrons..

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. As used in this section, the following word shall have the following meaning:

“Temperature regulation”- the ability of a commuter train car to provide reasonable air condition or heat such that commuter train passengers travel in a comfortable controlled temperature environment.

Section 5 of Chapter 161A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2005 official edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 5 (r) the following section:

SECTION 5 (s) To ensure fair treatment of commuter rail passenger, the authority shall not have the power to collect fares on commuter rail trains that depart 20 or more minutes after their originally scheduled departure time, or from the passenger of any car of a commuter rail train that fails to provide reasonable temperature regulation. 

Passengers of a commuter rail train with a “monthly pass” will be eligible to apply for and receive a cash or check reimbursement of the full cost of a one way transit ticket as designated by the authority if the commuter rail train departs 20 or more minutes after its originally scheduled departure time, or is sitting in any car of a commuter rail train that fails to provide reasonable temperature regulation. 

To ensure transit passengers are informed of such changes in commuter regulations, the authority hereby will be required to post in each commuter rail car the conditions under which ticket reimbursement will occur.