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Advocates press MBTA on elevator reliability and snow‑clearing after winter disruptions
Summary
RTAG and riders flagged elevator availability drops and bus‑stop snow obstruction during recent storms, calling for clearer municipal coordination, regular communication and an interdepartmental MBTA task force to address curb‑cut and bus‑stop clearance problems.
Rider advocates told MBTA staff that elevator reliability and winter snow‑clearing left parts of the transit system effectively inaccessible during recent storms, and urged the agency to formalize coordination with municipalities.
Joanne Daniels‑Finegold of RTAG said elevator up‑time for January through March dipped and cited monthly figures — January 98.83%, February 99.01% and March 99.31% — noting that "one broken elevator in a trip that requires multiple elevators is a failed trip" for many riders. RTAG argued that even small drops in uptime can cut off entire station trips for people with disabilities.
RTAG also presented monitoring data that found 14% of bus stops observed during winter were obstructed by snow or ice, a rate it described as among the highest in recent years. "With more than 7,000 bus stops, the MBTA does not have the capacity or funding to extend its snow removal efforts to all locations," RTAG said, and urged the MBTA to lead an interdepartmental working group and improve communication with municipalities to assign clear responsibility for clearing stops.
MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan described the scale of the winter response, contractor limits and the agency's use of winter emergency schedules. He said the MBTA and municipal partners are reviewing contract language and pre‑winter coordination after the prolonged storms strained staffing and contractors.
RTAG recommended continued monitoring and an interdepartmental snow and ice task force; MBTA staff said they will continue outreach through the recently formed municipal coordination working group and post a full list of bus‑stop responsibilities on the MBTA website, while acknowledging that municipal capacities vary during storms.
Next steps: RTAG will consolidate concerns raised by working groups into work plans and invite appropriate MBTA staff to participate beginning in June; MBTA staff said they will continue to report on elevator reliability and system responses in upcoming accessibility reports.
