BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — For Valentine’s Day, the MBTA is asking for residents to make a video to share what they love about their stop, dock, or station—but their campaign is getting a lot of backlash on social media.
The transit agency tweeted about the contest Friday morning. Those who submit a video will be given the chance to win a two round-trip flights from Jet Blue. The videos must be 60 seconds or less, and then posted to Twitter with #NextStopTheWorld.
“Show us what makes your MBTA spot & neighborhood special,” the MBTA wrote on Twitter. “Maybe the people, a restaurant, museum, park, or special event sets your neighborhood apart.”
The MBTA says they “are looking for creativity” and “originality” in the videos, “not production value.”
Anyone participating must be 18 years old or older. The videos must be shared by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28.
But the contest comes after months of riders demanding better service from the T following a series a delays and derailments.
A derailment on the Red Line last June created months of disrupted service as crews worked to make repairs. This was followed a protest that challenged fare hikes on the T, with demonstrators saying calling them unfair in the wake of the problems. Boston City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu was among those to lead the charge.
Later that summer, a whistleblower filed a complaint accusing the MBTA of attempting to cover-up safety concerns.
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Following the contest call-out, dozens of riders responded with humor and frustration about the condition of the transit system.
"My favorite T stop doesn't exist," user David Bernier wrote. "It's clean, modern, well maintained, and the buses/trains arrive in a timely fashion so we're not stuck in the sub freezing temperatures for twenty+ minutes."
See some of the angry replies below:
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(Photo: Mario Jarjour/WBZ NewsRadio)