THE MBTA, as usual, shows its unwillingness to study its problems by ending late-night weekend service and then raising fares. As far as late-night service is concerned, the MBTA should run its rapid transit and main bus routes until at least 1 a.m. every night. The T’s claim of low patronage may be true, but perhaps that is a result of the service running only on weekends. Most people are creatures of habit, and if they routinely need public transportation at 12:45 a.m., there is little to no reason for them to use it only on weekends.

The MBTA should be ashamed of itself for the almost uniform fare raise, despite widespread opposition. This is the service low-income people are most likely to use. For a first-class city and state, the MBTA acts like a third-class operation.

Peter Osgood

Belmont