College students, lawmakers and drunk driving opponents plan to rally at City Hall Plaza tomorrow to demand the MBTA offer 24-hour service. Currently the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority buses, subways and trolleys stop for roughly five hours a day, between midnight and dawn. The MBTA has never extended its service to overnight riders for financial reasons, and because officials say they didn't think the need was there. But lawmakers have begun to push for 24-hour service. State Sen. Steven Tolman says he is optimistic the measure will pass in some form.
Proponents say the service is essential.
The rally will be held at 2 p.m. in City Hall Plaza. The National Campaign for Jobs and Income found that a person in New Hampshire must work 110 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom unit at fair market rent, based on state or federal minimum wages. The Northeast was the least affordable region in which to live, according to the report. The Health and Human Services Committee will review a half dozen proposals dealing with drug prices. Among them are bills to oblige pharmaceutical companies to disclose how much they spend to advertise their products in the state, and one to authorize the state to gather and publicize prescription drug prices.