Below is the full transcript of the public comments our Executive Director, Jarred Johnson, presented to the MBTA Board via voicemail on March 23, 2023:
“Hello, my name is Jarred Johnson and I'm the Executive Director of TransitMatters. Madam Secretary, Madame Chair, General Manager, and members of the Board and staff, thank you for the opportunity to provide for the common. And please excuse my bluntness.
This Board is failing riders, full stop. I want to start by saying that I appreciate and understand the amount of time that you all have given over the past year and a half. I know that this role is not easy; however, neither is being a T rider these days.
The system is in crisis, but you would not know that by watching a Board meeting. It has been incredibly frustrating to read about escalator safety experts or staff in charge of hiring dispatchers appearing before the board and receiving no questions from you all. Or to learn about the FTA engagement from the Globe. The previous Board used to be a forum for riders to voice their concerns and be heard as well as for the board to dig into the issues facing the agency.
I understood that this board wanted to do things differently, and I defended this in the press. I understood that the previous amount of public comment and engagement with staff was not sustainable, but the pendulum has swung too far. I don’t think anyone would suggest that the hands off approach has been successful.
Giving public comment to this board is largely seen as talking to a brick wall by advocates, and I'm not sure most riders even know the T has a board. Furthermore, we are a year and a half past the end of the State of Emergency, it's time to make this meeting hybrid. Not allowing live comment—either in person, on Zoom, or over the phone—is another roadblock for meaningful engagement.
I must also address the patently offensive comments about T ridership and a "new normal.” We're seeing ridership reach pre-pandemic levels in NYC. The stagnant ridership at the MBTA is a clear reflection of perceptions of safety, poor reliability, service cuts, slow zones, and painful diversions. We are nearly 9 months into service cuts on rapid transit and more than a year into bus service cuts. This Board needs a laser focus on hiring and service quality, not talk that reeks of managed decline.
I'm appealing to you all, because I know you care, but from the outside that is far from evident. I didn't want to have to be so blunt, but the Board has had zero engagement with advocates, including ignoring welcome letters. This is an agency in crisis and riders and employees—especially frontline employees who bear the brunt of frustration from upset riders—deserve better.
I look forward to actual engagement with riders and advocates. And to a new Board culture. Thank you for your time.”
For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org.
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