MBTA suspends annoying fare announcements
It didn’t even last a week
In an effort to limit the amount of free riders and appeal to the good consciences of T users everywhere, the MBTA recently installed an audio announcement that would remind passengers to pay for their ride. The pre-recorded fare message, “pay your fare, it’s only fair,” would play at above ground stops along the Green Line.
Seems like a good idea, right? Very, very wrong.
For short trips, the message is harmless. You maybe hear it once or twice. No big deal. But for commuters or college students who travel up and down the Green Line long distances daily, the fare message is a nightmare.
On social media, riders didn’t complain much about the content of the message, but instead its delivery: a loud, intrusive message that would repeat at stop after stop.
The fare reminder received so much flak online that the MBTA has agreed to remove it completely from all Green Line trains.
It didn’t even last a week.