“For us,’’ Chavez said of the proposals, “it would be dire.’’
To close a projected $161 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials unveiled two packages last month proposing raising subway fares by up to 70 cents, reducing or cutting bus routes, and eliminating ferry service and weekend commuter rail trains. One proposal eliminates fewer bus routes than the other, but would raise the cost of fares and passes by an average of 43 percent. The second proposal would yield most of its savings from eliminating many bus routes, while raising the cost of fares and passes by an average of 35 percent.
Reduced fares currently offered to senior citizens could increase by at least 50 percent under the proposals. The cost of using The Ride, a door-to-door service for disabled people, also would increase under both proposals.
Both proposals are particularly devastating for Chelsea because of the city’s large low-income population, including seniors, as well as the proposed elimination of bus Route 112 in one of the proposals, said Jovanna Garcia Soto, an organizer for the nonprofit Chelsea Collaborative.
“The 112 goes to Market Basket, Soldiers’ Home, and it’s the only one that goes to Admiral’s Hill, and there are many seniors that depend on it,’’ Garcia Soto said. “None of the plans work for us.’’
Admiral’s Hill is home to assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and a number of low-income and elderly housing units.
According to the latest MBTA ridership numbers, Route 112 served an average of 1,213 riders on weekdays; 672 on Saturdays; and 379 on Sundays in 2010.
The route runs from Wellington Station in Medford on the T’s Orange Line to a portion of Broadway in Everett before making its way through parts of Chelsea, then ending its run at the T’s Wood Island stop on the Blue Line in East Boston. Its route also includes the Soldiers’ Home health care facility for veterans, many of whom are disabled and elderly, said Dan Cortell, vice president of the Chelsea City Council, who also represents that area of the city.
