Passengers board an MBTA bus in Chelsea on May 20, 2020.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has decreased next year's fare revenue forecast by nearly a third, a sign of the extended economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The MBTA predicts that fare revenue will reach no more than 38% of pre-pandemic levels by June. That figure was previously 60%, The Boston Globe reported.
According to a new model used by the state, the figure could be as low as 24% depending on travel and work from home policies.
If accurate, these findings could worsen a financial deficit that has already prompted the transit authority to consider service cuts that would affect all modes of transportation.
The MBTA is scheduled to finalize plans for the service cuts, totaling up to $150 million, before year-end and to implement them in the spring and summer.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh asked the agency to lobby for federal funds as other transit agencies have.
The T has called for Congress to approve a $32 billion transit fund in a coronavirus rescue bill.
