Chieppo’s argument that improvements would benefit drivers by getting cars off the road is specious, and barely relevant for those who live and work outside the T’s service area.
There is no justification for money to be taken from someone in Agawam or Seekonk to subsidize the T while road repairs, signaling, and other pressing needs are left unmet.
Ideally, riders should pay the cost of the T, but that will never happen. So, instead of a gas tax, we should institute an availability tax. The closer you live to the T, whether you use it or not, the more you pay.
The lowest incomes could be exempted, just as they are now exempt from paying income tax.
The money would go into a dedicated fund for the T, not the general fund. And then the gas tax could be put back to work on the roads, where this funding belongs.