BOSTON — A decision by the MBTA to ask riders to weigh in on the exterior appearance of its new subway trains and trolleys is being met with derision from some customers who say they just want better service.

“I could care less about the colors,” one woman told WBZ-TV. “If you can get me from point A to point B in the time I need to do it, that’s what matters to me.”

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority launched an online campaign Tuesday asking the public to vote on the paint schemes for the transit agency’s new Red, Orange and Green Line trains.

“In recognition of how important our customers are, and the importance of the role the T plays in the region, we are launching this contest to take this process one step further and let our customers have direct input on the final exterior design of the new vehicles,” state transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said in a statement announcing the contest.

The deep-in-debt agency, heavily criticized for its poor performance during record-setting snowfall last winter, was hit hard on social media.

“Do any of them look like they’re gonna work in the snow?” someone with the handle Fleapocalypse tweeted.

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“Why don’t you fix the rails before spending so much effort on design?” Lexi tweeted.

The MBTA noted that it already had 14,000 votes on the new designs in one day.

The last day to vote is Nov. 3.

The Orange and Red line cars will be built in Springfield under a $566 million contract with a Chinese manufacturer. A Delaware-based company will build the Green Line trains.

Delivery of the first of 152 new Orange Line cars is expected in 2018. The first of 24 new Green Line trolleys will be delivered in 2017, and the delivery of the first of 132 new Red Line cars is scheduled to start in November 2019.


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