FMCB Approves Pilot Transit Service Policy

BOSTON - The MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board today approved the new Pilot Transit Service Policy, which determines a process for reviewing and evaluating proposed services.

A "service pilot" is a limited-time, experimental service provided by the MBTA. The new Policy will provide MBTA staff and those seeking new services with a transparent means to evaluate new concepts intended to fill unmet transit needs within the MBTA service area. All new services under consideration by the MBTA will now begin as pilots in order to determine their cost-effectiveness and other benefits before potentially becoming permanent.

The Pilot Transit Service Policy officially establishes a process by which new pilot proposals will be evaluated. Pilot proposals will be accepted by the MBTA on an annual schedule and must include performance goals as well as cost and ridership estimates. Specific performance metrics will be developed for each pilot in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the service and to determine if it should continue. After a pilot ends, the Policy states that the FMCB will vote on whether and how to continue each service.

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