When I created the “Take the T Pledge” website in 2018, I was frustrated with the poor quality of the MBTA service I depended on to get to three different part-time jobs in a timely manner. I asked local and state politicians to pledge to take the MBTA to work for a week, believing that if our leaders could understand first-hand what MBTA commuters face, they would surely act to improve the situation.
Clearly I was mistaken. Many state lawmakers and local politicians agreed to take the T for a week; it has only gotten worse since then. As everyone who rides it knows, the T is simply no longer a reliable way to get anywhere on time.