The agency is preparing to issue a new contract for cleaning services, with a goal of ensuring they are kept in better shape. The new contract would financially reward contractors — and their workers — if they keep stations cleaner than expected, and ding them if they don’t.

While the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority hopes to one day have the technology for the public to weigh in, similar to the 311 systems used by Boston and other cities, for now, the T is trying to master a 19th century task of keeping the stations clean.

One day, T commuters may able to log a complaint online with the MBTA about, say, a broken tile on the station floor or a foul odor in the elevator, and follow the request status until it’s resolved.


The MBTA’s current contract with two cleaning companies simply assigns tasks they must complete at different frequencies, such as daily or weekly. MBTA staffers can also direct the companies to complete specific tasks on request.

Judging by the conditions of some stations, that’s not working out so well.

“We want to get ourselves on a better footing to get our stations cleaner,” Joe Cheever, the T official who oversees stations and facilities, said at the agency’s weekly board meeting on Monday. “We need to get to a point where we’re continuously improving.”

In the meantime, the T has been doing quick-strike improvements to several stations as part of a $25 million initiative this spring, such as applying fresh coats of paint and installing brighter lights. This past week, for example, the agency tackled some of the Green Line stations along the Boston Marathon route.

In the long run, however, transit officials say they hope to invite the public to help out like the municipal 311 systems that allow residents to report a pothole or other problems and track the issue as the city deals with it.


But probably not until the stations are a little cleaner. Until then, there would be too much to handle.

“That is something that is absolutely a goal of where we want to be,” MBTA deputy general manager Jeff Gonneville said. “I think anyone who uses our system recognizes that we would very quickly be overwhelmed right now with the number of requests that have come in.”

Adam Vaccaro can be reached at adam.vaccaro@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adamtvaccaro.