General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Herald - July 25, 2008
CharlieCards gain ground as T works out the kinks
By Marie Szaniszlo | Friday, July 25, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

It took 18 months, but the CharlieCard has become a hit with T riders once accustomed to using tokens, the latest figures show.

In June, 66 percent of subway riders, 70 percent of bus passengers and 76 percent of Green Line and Mattapan trolley riders used the CharlieCard - the highest percentages to date, according to MBTA figures.

And from June 2007 to June 2008, CharlieCard-related complaints dropped from 215 to 138, said T spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas attributed the card?s growing acceptance to the convenience and benefits it affords, among them a 30-cent discount for subway passengers and a 25-cent discount for bus riders.

Because many customers use debit or credit cards to add value to their CharlieCards for future trips, the cards also have cut down on the amount of cash the T has to sort, saving the authority $1.3 million in overtime last year alone, Grabauskas said.

But the card does have its drawbacks.

Lee Matsueda, community organizer at the T Riders Union, said many people are missing out on the discounts because the cards and the machines that allow people to add value to them aren?t always readily available.

?We know and we see people still using cash - and paying more as a result,? Matsueda said.

The CharlieCard also can?t be used on commuter rail lines and can?t be registered and managed online, noted Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. So if a card is lost or stolen and you?ve already paid for future rides, that money is lost if you don?t know the the card?s serial number.

All of that could be resolved in the coming months, when the card goes online, Grabauskas said.

?We are taking extra pains to go through the testing, triple-checking the security features and safeguards to protect people?s privacy.?
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/politics/view.bg?articleid=1109033
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Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston Globe - July 28, 2008
Riders flock to T in record numbers
Increase gives lift, challenge to agency

By Keith O'Brien, Globe Staff | July 28, 2008

In a world of $4-a-gallon gasoline prices, grocery bills that break the family piggy bank, a seemingly endless home foreclosure crisis, and rising anxiety about the unsettled state of the US economy, there is at least one winner: the MBTA.

In fiscal 2008, according to numbers to be released today by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, nearly 375 million people took public transportation, 21 million more riders than the state agency had in fiscal 2007, a 6 percent leap and the highest ridership total in the agency's 44-year history.

"Many tons of people, in fact," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, the MBTA's general manager. "It's pretty exciting. We were definitely trending toward a good year and it turned out to be a phenomenal year for ridership for the MBTA, a historic all-time high."

The fiscal 2008 ridership totals smashed the previous record from 2001, when the MBTA recorded more than 354 million riders. The largest increases last year, according to the agency, came from people riding buses and light rail, such as the Green Line. And because gas prices did not hit $4 a gallon until May - near the end of the fiscal year - transporta tion officials and analysts expect interest in public transportation to continue in the months ahead.

"It's apparent to me that the high price of gasoline has finally hit home for people and caused travel behavior changes that we did not see when gasoline was $2 a gallon or $3 a gallon," said Bernard Cohen, the state secretary of transportation. "Four dollars a gallon seems to be the turning point here in terms of people rethinking modes of travel."

What is happening in Boston is happening all across the country, according to data from the American Public Transportation Association. In 2007, 10.3 billion trips were taken on US public transportation - the highest total in 50 years. And this year, the group's spokeswoman Virginia Miller said, the trend is continuing, with US public transportation use rising 3.4 percent in the first quarter.

At that rate, Miller said, last year's national mark will not stand for long. But the high fuel prices driving people to their nearest train stations and bus stops is really a "double-edge sword," Miller said, presenting public transportation with new challenges, such as how to accommodate the new riders while adjusting to the same increases in fuel prices.

"More people in record numbers are choosing public transportation," Miller said. "However, just like high gas prices are affecting the family budget, so too do high fuel prices impact a transportation system's budget."

The MBTA's budget is especially troubled. The state agency recently had to deplete its rainy-day fund to plug a $75 million deficit for fiscal 2009. An arbitrator ordered it to shell out $150 million in wage increases and back pay over the next two years. And it is already carrying a weighty debt of some $5 billion.

"Ridership equals revenue," Grabauskas said, "insofar as I'm adding more people to existing service." But the agency's general manager concedes that the ridership growth alone cannot solve the MBTA's financial crunch, especially as it looks to expand service on certain bus lines and on the Blue Line this year.

The new service, long planned, comes at a fortunate time for the agency, Grabauskas said. With more people riding public buses and trains in Boston than they have in generations, the MBTA has a chance to convert commuters for good. And that would benefit everyone, reducing highway traffic, air pollution and the pace of global warming, said Eric Bourassa, a transportation policy analyst for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group.

"This is an opportunity where people are experimenting with public transportation," Bourassa said. "And if the T does a good job and provides good service, more people are going to use it and we're going to keep those riders. But if the T has to raise fares because of high debt costs and high fuel costs, or if they have to cut service because of that, then we will have missed that opportunity."

Bill O'Donnell, 78, of Cambridge, who was getting off a Red Line train at Park Street station yesterday afternoon said that although he owns a car, he usually rides the T because of "the price of gasoline and the density of traffic."

In the past few months, O'Donnell said, he has seen more people riding the T.

"As soon as the price of gas went up, I noticed an increase," O'Donnell said.

Many riders agreed yesterday that there was a spike in ridership and it was crowding the trains.

"I used to be able to sit down," said Reginald Busby, 40, of Quincy, who was riding a Red Line train heading into the city yesterday.

The construction worker said he noticed the jump in the number of passengers when the train he takes to work from Quincy Center around 6 a.m. started arriving full of riders.

"There's standing room only, even early in the morning," he said.

The MBTA, which last raised fares in January 2007, has no plans on doing so again any time soon. And Grabauskas says the agency plans to do whatever it can to keep people riding public transit, even if gas prices fall.

Fares for the subway are $1.70 with a Charlie Card and $2 without; bus fares are $1.25 with the card and $1.50 without.

In addition to adding bus service and expanding Blue Line service this year, Grabauskas said he is open to considering creative ways to fit more people onto existing trains. In Chicago, for example, where ridership increased by almost 7 percent last month, mass transit authorities are considering removing seats on some train cars to make room for more people.

It is too early to say, Grabauskas cautioned, whether the MBTA would consider a similar move. "Literally," he said, "I only learned of it in the past week."

But at a time when people are forced to squeeze into rush-hour trains in Boston, the agency is willing, Grabauskas said, to consider just about anything, including, possibly, seatless cars. "It certainly is an idea with some merit."

Globe correspondent John S. Forrester contributed to this report. Keith O'Brien can be reached at kobrien@globe.com.
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Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

It's times like this I hate politicians the most. People want to use the system and the T wants to do everything it can to get more people riding but in the end it is the politicians who don't give the T the funding they need to really make a difference. But this is typical in America. Vote Obama and we'll see what happens.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I was going to call BS, but after a very quick check of the two candidates sites, you may be on to something:

barackobama.com
Build More Livable and Sustainable Communities: Our communities will better serve all of their residents if we are able to leave our cars, to walk, bicycle and access other transportation alternatives. As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account.
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I haven't been able to find anything comparable on McCain's website, but I haven't checked out the whole thing yet (to be fair, I spent the same amount of time on both sites). The closest I've found so far is a lot of straight talk about domestic drilling and alternative fuels. I'm willing to be corrected on this.

I should also point out that just because a politician says they will do something, that doesn't mean it will happen. But at least someone is talking about it. :/

Edit: Found this on McCain's website:
Open Space
Economic development is essential to a strong American economy but urban sprawl shouldn't be allowed to expand unabated at the expense of our remarkable wild and scenic public lands. Instead we should promote responsible growth and encourage state and local officials to implement open space initiatives and establish green corridors within our communities. This will require strengthening federal tools like Land and Water Conservation Fund that emphasizes recreation and the protection of wildlife areas.
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Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Obama talked about the US's need for a high-speed national rail network too....

Still, I think that transit is a low priority on his social agenda, though hopefully gas prices are changing that.

The only candidate who really had public transit as a main talking point (and in my opinion would have pushed to get it the funding it needs) was Bill Richardson, but since he was the most qualified and least polarizing candidate, he was quickly ignored by the populace....

----

In regards to good customer service, there are some pleasant T drivers. I once had a Green Line driver write me and sign a "late pass" to show my boss, after a disable train kept us from moving for 20 minutes. While there are some assholes and assholettes just like in any workplace, I tend to think many customers think they are their personal chauffers who are subject to looks of disdain, especially when they are kept waiting for reasons beyond the employees control. They're just people doing a job that for the most part is thankless, and the magnitude of the service the provide compared to the way the public treats them seems a bit unfair. They are just the easy targets of a broken system.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

I said "we'll see what happens" fora reason. I didn't say Obamawill make everything better. He is the only candidate who has talked about public transit and our rail network in a meaningful way, but all he has done is talk. We'll see what happens.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

statler said:
I was going to call BS, but after a very quick check of the two candidates sites, you may be on to something:

barackobama.com


I haven't been able to find anything comparable on McCain's website, but I haven't checked out the whole thing yet (to be fair, I spent the same amount of time on both sites). The closest I've found so far is a lot of straight talk about domestic drilling and alternative fuels. I'm willing to be corrected on this.

I should also point out that just because a politician says they will do something, that doesn't mean it will happen. But at least someone is talking about it. :/

Edit: Found this on McCain's website:
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McCain has always voted to shut down Amtrak. Only recently, after gas hit 4$, did he try to pretend he was pro transit.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

^^ Being pro-transit, and being pro-Amtrak are two very different things.

And to be fair to both candidates, I think it's more important what our senators and congressional reps think than either candidate. And our elected officials in Massachusetts. If the money allocated to transit gets eaten up in ill-conceived union contracts and poorly planned (or no-bid) deals for construction or service and support, where does that leave us?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

It leaves us where we are today so, really, no worse off.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

^^ Exactly.

Shouldn't "Better" be on America's to-do list?
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

In addition to adding bus service and expanding Blue Line service this year, Grabauskas said he is open to considering creative ways to fit more people onto existing trains. In Chicago, for example, where ridership increased by almost 7 percent last month, mass transit authorities are considering removing seats on some train cars to make room for more people.

It is too early to say, Grabauskas cautioned, whether the MBTA would consider a similar move. "Literally," he said, "I only learned of it in the past week."

But at a time when people are forced to squeeze into rush-hour trains in Boston, the agency is willing, Grabauskas said, to consider just about anything, including, possibly, seatless cars. "It certainly is an idea with some merit."

Huh? Only to the smartness-challenged.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

Boston.com - August 7th, 2008
CHAT TRANSCRIPT
MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas

August 7, 2008


MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Hi, this is Dan Grabauskas, and I will be happy to answer your questions for the next hour or so. So let's get started.

OMP: I've asked a few questions to the online customer support link on the MBTA website, however I have never received a response. What's the expected service level?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: I'm sorry if you have experienced any delay in response. We have a good team there and I will pass along your concern. But if you or any of the other folks on the chat today have any other problems please feel free to email me at gm@mbta.com.

Dot_Rat: How goes the progress of the Dorchester Stations?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Progress is going well. We currently have three bridges under construction. We have four stations in design. Four Corners station is expected to be advertised in late fall and the three remaining stations Talbot Ave., New Market, and Blue Hill will be advertised in 2009.

Mrs__M: I read on Boston.com that the T plans on raising fairs again...please justify this.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: As the Boston Globe pointed out in its editorial today, the MBTA has three major funding sources: one penny of the state?s five cents sales tax (more than 55% of our income), assessments from MBTA member cities and towns (about 10 % of our income), and fares. Nearly 65% of our income is beyond the T's control. Only one of those revenue streams is controlled by the MBTA- fares. So absent some type of external action to address the T's structural financial problems ($8.1 billion in debt, woefully underperforming revenue from the state sales tax, rising energy and fuel costs, increases in wages, etc.), the MBTA will be forced to choose one of the following: increasing fares or service cuts or deferring maintenance and modernization projects, or delaying new subway car procurements, or a combination of all of the above. These are obviously all bad choices, especially at this point in time with the highest ridership in the T's history. We believe its important to not miss the opportunity being given the T to retain all of the new riders who have started using public transit. We have made improvements in customer service, on-time performance, reliability, elevator/escalator availability, and the system has never been cleaner, the safest in 10 years, and is more accessible than ever. But we fear that much of the progress may be reversed without a long-term solution to the T's budget dilemma.

MassMikMouse: I can't seem to find the commuter rail schedules that easily anymore at North/South Stations and Back Bay. Why aren't they out like the bus schedules?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We do our best to distribute schedules but you should have seen at North Station, South Station and Back Bay brand new large schedule boards as well as new boards at the end of each track for your daily travel. And all schedules are available at www.mbta.com which you can get on your computer or PDA.

Jay: I have noticed that many of the ads on my bus (route 7) are outdated, which leads me to wonder if the T is still being paid and whether more advertising could help the T in its current financial situation.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: I will check with our Marketing Dept. with the Ads on the Route 7 but we are very aggresivly advertising throughout the entire MBTA system and have seen good increases in our ad revenue over the last couple of years. I might mention that there have been those that have been critical about the amount of advertising that we are doing but I want you to know the reason we are doing it is to keep fares as low as possible.

rtep: If a bus is supposed to be running every 8-10 minutes, why are there periods of 30 to 90 minutes with no service? Even in perfect weather!
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We do our best to fight traffic and construction and weather on occasion to keep our buses on schedule. If experience problem on your route please email us or call so we can track down any potential problem. That being said you should be pleased to know that we are in the process of putting Global Positioning Systems (GPS) on all MBTA buses so that we can better track and deploy our fleet. And it is my focus to finally address one of the biggest complaints we get about bus service namely bus bunching, where buses come one after the other and are not evenly spaced. The new system should be installed and operational by the end of this year.

bz: Was it necessary to buy new hybrid SUV's, when the MBTA is already in so much debt?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We have a number of non-revenue vehicles that our personnel use throughout the MBTA system for repair, maintenance, emergency response, snow removal, and alike. We have made a commitment that as we replace these older vehicles we are buying Hybrid in order to be environmentally responsible.

Ttime: A colleague of mine takes the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail. She is going to cancel her monthly passes and purchase 12 ticket rides, because the conductors do not check passes when the train is crowded. What are your plans to enforce that every rider has to show a pass or have their tickets punched? I would imagine that this is costing the T quite a bit of money!

JM: Why are so many trains taken "out of service" at Gvm't Center? On several occasions, I have missed my train at North Station because I had to wait more than 15 minutes for a North Station bound train. And even when it arrives, half of us can't get on, because the train is then crammed full of other commuters from previous stations who have also been waiting for the North Station train. All of the trains go through Government Center; why is it necessary for them to end the route there?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Two of the four routes that we run are schedule to turn at Government Center. We try to run Greenline service to match ridership demands and we are constantly tweaking that schedule. I will ask folks to look at your comment. But I have to say I think it is a misnomer to say that the trains are being taken out of service they are actually being scheduled to turn. And since I have the MBTA Chief Operating Office Rick Leary sitting with my right now I am sure that we will change how the announcements are made in the future.

bunko: Will that GPS info in any way be public? I know, for one, MY mood would be improved if I knew up front that I'd have to wait X minutes for the next bus, instead of waiting and wondering
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Real time customer service information RFP will be going out sometime next week so we will be able to bring to the MBTA Customers just the information you are looking for. In effect every cell phone or PDA will be able to give you that information at any of our 8500 bus stops. This process will take 24-36 months to implement. We will keep you informed of progress.

yuppiescum: With the T in as much debt as it is, increasing revenue is important but what is being done to reduce inefficiency, streamline costs, reduce completely unnecessary/undeserved employee benefits, etc?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We are doing many things to try to responsibly contain costs. We maintain a total headcount under our budget for the last couple of years, we have reduced overtime by 34 1/2% over the last three years, last year total wages were less than the year before while adding service thereby boosting productivity. As you may also have heard or read we recently won a number of significant conscessions from our unions regarding health care costs. For the first time in T history people who retire from the T will now pay for a portion of their health care. In addition the arbitrator tripled and in some cases quadrupiled the co-pay and deductibles for health care-and that change applies to all 6 thousand active employees as well as all 6 thousand retired employees immediatly. And many other instances we are trying to do more with less in order to demonstrate that the MBTA is not only a great economic resource to greater Boston but a well run good investment for the State and taxpayers and farepayers.

stuckworkin: why is when there is a red sox game and all the the green line trains get packed when people are trying to jsut get home from work why are there not more trains running?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: For every game we add as many Greenline trolley as we can to accomidate the crush of people exiting Fenway Park as well as to accomodate the regular ridership. We face similar challenges as NOrth Station for games and events there.

pierceleavitt: Dan- When will you allow Inner Express Bus Passes on a CharlieCard? It was supposed to be last year, but it keeps getting pushed back. I've lost $100+ because CharlieTickets - the only current way you can get these passes - got ruined in the washing machine by mistake!
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: The MBTA Board of Directors three months ago authorized us to higher a firm to help us role out the CharlieCard/Smart Card system to Commuterrail, COmmuter Boats and Parking throughout the MBTA system. This will also include the inner express buses. We are hoping to pilot a sample program sometime late next year.

factorykid: Dan..good afternoon. I ride The Commuter Rail from Providence to South Station 5-6 days a week. I am, overall, pleased with the service. (some glaring exceptions recently..but). My question is: The 808 train has almost never arrived at South Station at 8:16, per the schedule. 8:20 is the earliest this train ever arrives...usually 8:21 or later. Why not update the schedule with a "real" arrival time
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We are going through a process of revising our schedules. We do it twice a year. We are currently analyzing anywhere there are current delays so the service we deliver. With the increase in ridership more people are getting on and off our trains which adds some time at each station. Therefore we do need to adjust schedules to have truth in advertising. We recently did this to great success to the Worcester Line-those schedules had not been updated in nearly 10 years despite tremendous increases in ridership over that period.

janet: Dan I'm a big fan of what you did with the registry! But to my question: is there plans to add more parking at T and commuter rail stops? It is so frustrating that we living in the suburbs can only use these on weekends due to the parking being taken by commuters.

24hour_T: Why isn't the T open until after bars close? Is it because the taxi cab union will not allow it?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: No, the MBTA subway system is almost exclusivly a single track system and the four hours we close every night allows us to do necessary repairs and maintenance. New York for instance was built as a multi track system which affords the opportunity to remain open 24/7.

D: Kenmore Square has been under construction for three years now. Any thoughts about that project?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: If you haven't been to Kenmore recently, substaintial work on the installation of the glass shingles on the bus canopy is about 80% complete and ongoing work on the road and sidewalk improvements as well as installation of escalators and platform improvements will be done by the end of this year. Elevators will complete April 2009. I know many people have watched what has been slow progress but we have faced many constraints for our construction I am just pleased that the end is in sight. All the surface work will be complete by the end of this year.

D: What initiative currently underway at the T has you the most excited?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Top on my agenda are these:
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: New Buses that continue to come in this year. In fact I was just in Lynn this morning with our team to announce 70 new buses that will be operating out of Lynn. By the end of this yeat we will have replaced almost 1/3 of the bus fleet in the previous 24 months. And since 40% of our riders spend all or a part of thier commute on a bus this is very important. (I might mention that we had 11 mil more riders on our buses last year than the year before)
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Also, I am very excited about the real time information that we have been able to make available to customers. We have an award winning website www.mbta.com where you can sign up for T alerts a free service that notifies you of any service changes or disruptions. And you can tailor it to your trip. On our Silver Line real time count down. And as I said earlier we will be rolling out a similar type program for all our buses as well as subway and commuter rail.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: In addition, bringing cell phone service to the core of our subway for customers and the very well recieved Wi-Fi service on Commuter rail and commuter boar are real "difference makers" which I believe give us a real competative advantage over traveling in your car.
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Finally, we are in the process of bringing brand new Blue line cars into service which will allow us to run six car trains on the Blue Line for the first time. This means 50% increase in capacity at just the right time with all the extra riders we have.

A_2: On bus route 66, why are there not more busses running? They do not come very 10 min during rush hours, more like every 20. When they do come they are over crowded and one often has to wait for a second time. I had to stop using the bus to get to work as it was so unreliable. Any plans for more 66 buses??
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: We did add an extra bus on the Route 66 recently to try to address over crowding. It is one of our longest routes going from Dudley to Harvard Square and has to contend with construction, traffic, and lights. We are constantly continuing to look at ways to improve service on Route 66.

Mike: Bababooie
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Is Howard Stern on this chat?

Ian: Hi Dan, The MBTA runs single car service on the "E" line of the Green Line on Sundays. Often times these cars are packed, even in the evening especially as they transverse through the core. Are there any plans to start running 2 car service on the E line on Sundays?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Last year we boosted all trolleys Monday through Friday to two car trolleys on all four branches. And we increased some service on some branches on Sat to two cars. I will ask our operations and planning staff to look at the E Line on Sundays and see if it merits additional service.

MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Time for one more.

OMP: Why can't I use a zone 4 individual ride pass on the F1 commuter boat? a zone 4 monthly is accepted... why not a single ride?
MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: To ride a commuter boat you need to have a zone 5 pass or greater.

MBTA_General_Manager_Dan_Grabauskas: Thank you everyone.
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Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

BTW, I'm thinking that "D"=MBTA PR plant.
 
Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

The Register - August 9, 2008
Agency sues to stop Defcon speakers from revealing gaping holes
Sorry, Charlie
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco → More by this author
Published Saturday 9th August 2008 06:08 GMT

Defcon - A transit agency in New England has filed a federal lawsuit to stop three Massachusetts Institute of Technology undergraduates from publicly presenting research at Defcon demonstrating gaping security holes in two of the agency's electronic payment systems.

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) also named MIT in the 17-page complaint, which seeks unspecified monetary damages for violation of the computer fraud and abuse act, negligent supervision and other causes of action. It also requests a temporary order preventing the students from "publicly stating or indicating that the security or integrity" of the MBTA's systems has been compromised.

The three speakers are Zack Anderson, 21, RJ Ryan, 22 and Alessandro Chiesa, 20, who on Sunday were scheduled to present research into both of the MBTA's automated payment systems. Although one method uses magnetic strip technology and the other radio frequency identification, the researchers say it's trivial to manipulate both cards to add hundreds of dollars in fare amounts.

"Disclosure of this information - if what the MIT undergrads claim is true - will significantly compromise the CharlieCard and CharlieTicket systems," the complaint states. "This in turn will harm the overall functioning of the MBTA's transit services."

Perhaps the MBTA hasn't heard of the Mifare Classic, the world's most popular RFID card, which just happens to be included in the CharlieCard. Last year researchers announced a way to crack the smartcard in a matter of minutes. The trio's research into the CharlieTicket is based on other weaknesses.

"It's pretty disappointing," Anderson told El Reg. "We initially called them to offer them our help in fixing these vulnerabilities. We have no intention of releasing details that would allow someone to replicate the attacks that can be done."

Representatives from the MBTA and MIT weren't available for comment.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in US District Court in Boston, capped a week of sometimes tense negotiations between MBTA officials, the students, and their instructor, MIT Professor Ronald Rivest (the R in the RSA cryptography algorithm). Earlier this week, a meeting at MIT was convened that included the students and their instructor, a MBTA official and a special agent from the FBI cyber crimes division.

"The MBTA official made clear the level of concern reached all the way up to the governor's office," Anderson said. "They wanted to know exactly what types of details we were revealing. They were pretty concerned about the tools" the students planned to release.

According to the complaint, the students refused to provide MBTA officials with the materials they planned to present at Defcon. The MBTA is the fifth biggest US transit agency with a ridership of about 1.4 million per day. Average weekday revenue is about $700,000.

The complaint takes issue with a presentation description that read in part: "Want free subway rides for life? In this talk we go over weaknesses in common subway fare collection systems. We focus on the Boston T subway, and show how we reverse engineered the data on magstripe card, we present several attacks to completely break the CharlieCard, a Mifare Classic smartcard used in many subways around the world, and we discuss physical security problems."

The description was later changed to remove the first line.

Anderson said the tools scheduled to be released helped streamline research into whether payment systems from other transit agencies were vulnerable to the same types of attacks. The students never planned to give tools or instructions showing how to add fares to the MBTA cards, he stressed.

This isn't the first time a powerful interest has sued to muzzle a Defcon speaker. In 2005 Cisco Systems took action against researcher Michael Lynn after he promised to demonstrate how to run a shellcode on a router without authorization. The two ultimately settled. NXP Semiconductor, maker of the cryptographically challenged Mifare card, has also taken legal action to silence researchers who poked holes in fare collection systems used in the Netherlands. A Dutch judge rejected the request.
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Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos

AdamBC said:
Very interesting that someone could 'clone' my card by walking past me with an antenna and use my stored value to get onto the T.
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Sadly, this was theorized to be a possible hack from Day 1. It's a reoccurring issue with RFID these days, with potentially hilarious implications for RFID passports the gov is trying to push on everyone.
 
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