Memorandum

Date      May 18, 2017

TO           Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

FROM     Karl H. Quackenbush, Executive Director

RE           Work Program for Equity Analysis for MBTA Youth Pass Program Expansion

Action Required

Review and approval

Proposed Motion

That the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), upon the recommendation of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), vote to approve the work program for Equity Analysis for MBTA Youth Pass Program Expansion, presented in this memorandum

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program Classification

Agency and Other Client Transportation Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

CTPS Project Number

14357

Client

MBTA

Project Supervisor: Laurel Paget-Seekins

CTPS Project Supervisors

Principal: Annette Demchur

Manager: Steven Andrews

Funding

Future MBTA Contract

Impact on MPO Work

The MPO staff has sufficient resources to complete this work in a capable and timely manner. By undertaking this work, the MPO staff will neither delay the completion of nor reduce the quality of any work in the Unified Planning Work Program.

Background

At the beginning of state fiscal year 2015, following an eight-month public process, the MBTA launched a one-year pilot Youth Pass program. The program essentially offered the same reduced-fare benefits of the MBTA’s student LinkPass to qualifying youth who did not have access to the student pass. The Youth Pass is valid on the same modes as the LinkPass: local buses, the Silver Line, and the heavy and light rail systems. A monthly Youth Pass currently costs $30.

The MBTA partners with four participating municipalities—Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, and Malden—which administer the program by accepting payments and distributing the passes. The Youth Pass program was initially open to residents of those four municipalities who are (1) between the ages of 12 and 18 and who do not currently receive a student pass, or (2) between the ages of 19 and 21 and meet certain need-based criteria.

In June 2016, the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board voted to expand the pilot Youth Pass program to extend eligibility for the existing MBTA Youth Pass fare product in the participating municipalities to persons 21 to 25 years old, and to provide half-priced single rides. 

The MBTA, as a recipient of federal funds through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is required to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The FTA, in its guidance to recipients regarding their Title VI obligations, requires transit providers to conduct a fare-equity analysis to determine whether proposed fare changes would have a discriminatory impact based on race, color, or national origin. In addition, although low-income populations are not a protected class under Title VI, the FTA requires transit providers to determine whether low-income populations would bear a disproportionate burden (or benefit, in the case of fare decreases) from proposed changes. Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) will conduct the required fare-equity analysis of the MBTA’s Youth Pass program expansion.

Objective

The objective of this project is to conduct a Title VI fare-equity analysis of the proposed Youth Pass program expansion to examine whether the expansion would create a disparate impact on minority populations or a disproportionate accrual of benefits to non-low-income populations.

Work Description

Task 1  Conduct a Title VI Fare-Equity Analysis of the Youth Pass Program Expansion

CTPS will use the demographic information provided by the pilot Youth Pass program participants to estimate the financial impacts of the Youth Pass on each of four groups of riders (minority, nonminority, low-income, and non-low-income). We will conduct the equity analysis as soon as we have received from the MBTA six months of data on participation in the Youth Pass program by persons aged 22 to 25 years, and the demographic characteristics and usage patterns of participants who took advantage of the half-priced single ride fare. CTPS will apply the MBTA’s Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden Policy to evaluate whether minority and/or low-income riders are disproportionately less likely to use the Youth Pass, and if there are any disparate impacts on minority populations or disproportionate accrual of benefits for non-low-income populations.

Following the submission of a memorandum that summarizes the fare-equity analysis, CTPS will remain available to provide technical support to the MBTA and to respond to questions about the analysis.

Product of Task 1

Memorandum on the results of the fare-equity analysis

Task 2  Provide Technical Support to the MBTA

During the course of the project, CTPS will coordinate with both the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights and General Counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Following the submission of a memorandum that summarizes the fare-equity analysis, CTPS will remain available to provide technical support to the MBTA and to respond to questions about the analysis.

Estimated Schedule

It is estimated that this project will be completed three months after the notice to proceed is received. The proposed schedule, by task, is shown in Exhibit 1.

Estimated Cost

The total cost of this project is estimated to be $30,000. This includes the cost of 10.6 person-weeks of staff time, overhead at the rate of 102.70 percent. A detailed breakdown of the estimated costs is presented in Exhibit 2.

KQ/AD/ad