HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3392        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

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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 to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the MBTA.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3392        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the MBTA.

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. Chapter 161A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:

Section 53. (a) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall expand its public dashboards to include benchmarking metrics against regional transit authorities, including but not limited to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the Worcester Regional Transit Authority. The metrics shall include cost-per-passenger-trip, cost-per-vehicle-mile, revenue recovery ratios, administrative overhead as a percentage of operating costs, and other performance indicators as determined by the authority.

(b) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall establish a system to monitor on-time performance for all modes of transit, including buses, commuter rail, ferries, and subway services. The authority shall adopt an on-time performance goal of 80 percent or higher and conduct monthly route audits. The findings of such audits shall be made publicly available through the authority’s reliability dashboard.

(c) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall develop and implement a fleet replacement program to modernize its vehicle inventory. The program shall prioritize the acquisition of low-emission and accessible vehicles and shall comply with federal and state environmental standards.

(d) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall equip all vehicles with real-time tracking technology to monitor service delays, passenger load, and operational status. The tracking data shall be integrated into the authority’s public dashboards to provide real-time updates to passengers and transit planning staff.

(e) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on Transportation and the clerks of the House of Representatives and Senate. The report shall summarize: (1) progress on the implementation of benchmarking metrics and public dashboard updates; (2) results of monthly route audits and progress toward on-time performance goals; (3) updates on the fleet replacement program; and (4) improvements in service reliability, cost-effectiveness, and passenger satisfaction.