By Chris Lisinski, State House News Service
May 13, 2021
Chris Lisinski, State House News Service
With fare evasion decriminalized under a law Gov. Baker signed in January, MBTA staff on Monday proposed ending the practice of marking driver’s licenses for non-renewal if a resident failed to pay a fare evasion citation.
Transit justice advocates have been pushing the public transit agency to decouple paying fares from driver’s licenses, arguing that those who cannot afford evasion fines which currently can total several hundred dollars should not have driving privileges stripped.
MBTA Acting Assistant General Manager for Policy Lynsey Heffernan said on Monday that staff have “heard the concerns of our riders loud and clear” and would recommend that the Fiscal and Management Control Board approve new regulations without the licensing impacts, though she encouraged board members to “re-evaluate” the policy once its effects become clear.
MBTA passengers pass through automated fare collection gates at JFK/UMass Station in Boston on April 4, 2019. (Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
With fare evasion decriminalized under a law Gov. Charlie Baker signed in January, MBTA staff on Monday proposed ending the practice of marking driver s licenses for non-renewal if a resident failed to pay a fare evasion citation.
Transit justice advocates have been pushing the public transit agency to decouple paying fares from driver s licenses, arguing that those who cannot afford evasion fines which currently can total several hundred dollars should not have driving privileges stripped.