MBTA's Charlie Card

An article about the Charlie Card anniversary appeared in the Sunday, December 23rd issue of the Boston Sunday Globe.

The article was mostly complimentary. It focused on how complaints regarding the card have decreased over the past six months. It also explained how the cards are not able to be used on the commuter rail system run jointly by the MBTA/MBCR. Apparently there are plans to enable the cards to be used on the commuter rail line at some point.

Also, some critics of the Charlie Card were quoted in the article. The critics feel that the T could do more to institute flexible fares - charging different rates at different times during the day to encourage ridership and usage of public transportation.

Of course, the T is against that idea. The T also thinks the cards (which cost $192 million to implement and didn't result in any staff reductions) are "successful."