THE MBTA’S PARKING REVENUE increased 22 percent over the last five months compared to the same period a year ago, reinforcing the notion that theft by employees of the T’s private parking lot operator may have been tempering revenue gains.
The parking problem surfaced in February when daily revenue reports at MBTA lots didn’t match up with actual vehicle counts conducted by the agency. Two employees of the operator, LAZ Parking Ltd., were fired, but conflicting stories have emerged about what happened and the scope of the problem. The matter was referred to Attorney General Maura Healey over the summer.
At the meeting of the T’s oversight board on Monday, the issue resurfaced when Evan Rowe, the agency’s director of revenue, reported that July-through-November parking revenue totaled$9.6 million, compared to $7.86 million for the same period the year before. CommonWealth previously reported that T parking revenue also jumped in March and April after the receipt discrepancies were discovered.
Rowe said the T expects to end the fiscal year at the end of June with $21 million in parking revenue, up $2 million over the previous year.
It’s nearly impossible to say whether the increases in parking revenue came about because a theft problem was snuffed out or whether some other factors were at play. Possible factors include the weather, shifting travel patterns, and the Red Sox going from last place to first place and drawing larger crowds.
But T officials seem to be convinced LAZ is part of the problem. “We certainly believe it was not being administered appropriately by LAZ,” said John Englander, the T’s chief legal counsel. T officials said any more discussion about the contract with LAZ would have to take place in executive session. The MBTA is putting the parking management contract out to bid early.
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About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
LAZ officials declined comment, saying they would abide by a request from the attorney general’s office not to discuss the situation in the media.
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