Compensating MBTA riders for snow ills under review.

Byline: Bob Salsberg

BOSTON -- The Boston-area public transit agency outlined several options Tuesday for compensating passengers who endured weeks of delays, cancellations and system-wide shutdowns as more than 8 feet of snow battered the region.

The possibilities ranged from offering one week of free fares throughout the system; rebates or discounts for customers who bought monthly passes from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority only to see many of their regular trains canceled; or allowing commuter rail passengers to reuse their February pass for another month.

Jonathan Davis, the MBTA's chief financial officer, said the options carried a range of estimated price tags, including $6 million in lost revenue for a week of free fares and about $10.5 million for allowing the use of monthly passes for an extra month.

The MBTA has incurred an estimated $36.5 million in storm-related costs to date, including snow removal, overtime, substitute buses and lost fares, Davis told the finance committee of the Massachusetts...