BOSTON -- Two of the state's leading transportation officials sounded cautious on Thursday when commenting on the possibility of issuing refunds to delay-plagued MBTA commuters.

Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack and incoming interim MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola expressed a desire to provide riders with high-quality customer service, but at the same time voiced concerns about what issuing refunds would do to the cashstrapped public transportation system's checkbook.

"One of the issues is every dollar we give back is a dollar I can't invest in the system. We have to balance our financial needs and the need to fix the system with being fair and reasonable," said DePaola outside a State Senate committee meeting on the MBTA's problems.

DePaola said that the big challenge with deciding on refunds is to balance customer loyalty and restoring faith in the system. Discounts in the place of refunds are certainly an option for MBTA riders, said DePaola.

Pollack said that she, along with the governing board overseeing the MBTA, will look at the issue of refunds with an open mind but, like DePaola, she expressed concerns about what kind of havoc, if any, refunds could create for the agency's finances.

"It's a tough decision for the board to make. My concern is folks want the service to get better faster and they want money back, and it's the same pot of money," said Pollack.

Outgoing MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott commented on the issue of refunds on Monday but did not stake out a position.

Pollack outlined a dire picture of the MBTA's finances to the Senate Committee on Bonding at a State House hearing on Thursday.