Cambridge, Mass. - Activists with #OccupyBoston and associated groups in surrounding cities and towns served by the MBTA transit system are mobilizing their supporters to oppose extensive cuts in services and large fare increases on the trains and buses of the "T."

On Monday, February 13, members of a relatively new addition to the Occupy universe, Occupy the T, will stage a protest in front of the Boston Public Library just before MBTA officials lead another in a series of public hearings on the proposed fare increases and service cuts in the Library's Rabb Lecture Hall.

Occupy participants will be joined by groups that have been advocating for holding the line on fares for a number of years, including the Roxbury-based T Riders Union and ACE, Alternatives for Community and Environment, among others.

Faced with a huge debt, "T" officials say fare increases and service cuts are the only way to bring the transit system closer to a balanced budget. But affected riders and municipal officials such as Boston Mayor Tom Menino have called on the MBTA leadership and state transportation officials to be creative and look for alternatives to fare hikes and cuts in service.

On Sunday, members of Occupy the T joined the hosts of "RADIO with a VIEW" on WMBR-FM in Cambridge to discuss the consequences of fare hikes and service cuts and the reaction from Occupy activists and their allies.

OMB Audio:

Conversation with Occupy the T organizers, Joe Ramsey, Brett West, and Ridgley Fuller with Marc Stern and David Goodman, Sunday, Feb. 12 2012, on WMBR-FM's "RADIO with a VIEW" program. (2 segments: 23:24 & 25:45)

Part 1

Part 2

Web Resources

http://www.occupyboston.org/
http://occupysomervillema.org/
http://www.mbta.com/