i take the commuter rail because i have to but commuting from zone 1 and commuting to zone 1A is needlessly expensive. Scaling the zone 1 fare down to, say, $4.25 to mimic express buses would save a zone 1 commuter without a monthly pass about $100 a month (or probably about $50 if they scaled the pass down the same way). For a lot of T users $600-1200 a year in savings is substantial, not to mention if they also scaled down the rest of the zone fares. That would also make the commuter rail a much more attractive option compared to driving, particularly if you take the mass pike which has tolls.