All of our members put a lot of time and energy into what they do. Achieving even the smallest step forward takes what is sometimes a discouragingly long time. On July 1st, Community Works member ACE celebrated a victory eight years in the making: the launch of the MBTA Youth Pass pilot program. The following excerpts are from ACE’s blog post on the event:
“July 2, 2015
They said it couldn’t be done. That it was too expensive. That they weren’t ready and we needed to wait.
They’ve even ignored us, talked down to us, waited to see if we’d get tired and give up.
But youth are powerful. We persisted. We did everything they asked for and then some. We never stopped fighting.
Yesterday, hundreds of young people across the Boston area were able to board the MBTA using the first-ever Youth Pass, as part of our Youth Pass pilot program.
We celebrated the program launch in Dudley Square with our Youth Affordabili(T) Coalition (YAC), city officials and the Secretary of Transportation. This comes after eight years of youth-led organizing for a more affordable and accessible public transit system.”
“Last year, after writing an open letter to then-Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey and receiving no response, we mobilized hundreds of people to rally at the Transportation Building downtown, and held a Sit-In for Opportuni(T) in his office.
After 21 youth and supporters were arrested, the MBTA agreed to set up a working group with YAC members to develop a Youth Pass pilot program. The pilot was presented to the MassDOT board for review in December 2014 and was approved in spring 2015 as part of the 2015-2016 MBTA budget.
‘Mayor Walsh and I are proud to join the youth of Boston who led the efforts on this campaign to bring about an affordable youth pass. Because of this, young people will be able to access safe, healthy and productive opportunities throughout the City,’ said Felix Arroyo, Chief of Health and Human Services.
‘I was convinced by our youth advocates of how important affordable public transit is to them. The Orange Line is one of our City’s greatest assets and we want everyone to be able to afford this convenience,’ said City of Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. ‘We are very proud to be one of the first four cities in Massachusetts to launch this pilot program and provide a reduced fare pass to our youth.’
Registration for the Youth Pass is rolling. Please continue signing up if you (or people you know) are eligible, as spots will open over time. The pilot will collect data on youth ridership, which will be used to shape the full program.
‘The Youth Pass Pilot Program being launched today was developed by a working group of MassDOT, MBTA, youth advocates, and municipal partners who met for eight months to address the transportation access needs identified by the youth,’ said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. ‘The pilot will measure costs to the MBTA and the benefits to the youth, including their ability to access jobs, school, and civic opportunities.’
At the launch, Gladys Vega, Executive Director of the Chelsea Collaborative, called on Secretary Pollack to implement a system-wide Youth Pass on the MBTA.
‘It’s a pilot project. So I would ask Secretary Stephanie to take the message back that we want this to be permanent. The youth don’t deserve any less. We believe in them, and this is access for them to work, study and access other opportunities. So my challenge is to you,’ said Gladys, to cheers from the crowd.
Secretary Pollack responded that it was up to organizers to keep pressure on her to make this a reality.
‘I would like the pilot to be really successful with the 1,500 young people. I want everyone to experience it, to be able to have extracurricular activities and do the things that they want,’ said Nicole. ‘I hope the Youth Pass will be permanent so that youth can access it. I want people to support the pass.’
This victory is made possible by generations of young people and allies who have steadfastly worked toward a singular vision: a public transportation system that is affordable and accessible to all. Thank you members for supporting this work for youth transit justice!
‘I think it’s good to see that young people won something and recognize that it took hard work – and many years – to get something that we really needed,’ said Armando. ‘If we really want it, it’s going to happen.'”
Boston Social Justice 