Free bus service expands Tuesday as long-term costs are questioned

BOSTON — Starting Tuesday morning, some commuters in Boston will be able to get a free ride to work.

Three MBTA bus lines that run thru Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan will be no longer collect the traditional fare of $1.70. This is a trial program that Mayor Michelle Wu has been pushing to improve access to public transportation. The program, which includes Routes 23, 28, and 29, will run for the next two years.

“We know that transportation and public transit, in particular, is the foundation of so much,” said Mayor Wu. “It’s life-changing when we can remove that barrier for people.”

The mayor is using $8 million of federal pandemic relief money to fund this trial program.

“This pilot program is going to be one of the longest-running free fare pilots anywhere in the country,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston’s chief of streets.

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority has been offering free service since March 2020. 10,000 riders use the service daily.

“I think transit has got to move in the way of making itself more available to more and more people,” said Dennis Lipka, the chief administrator for the program.

The WRTA also tapped COVID funds to fund their program.

Lipka knows that stream of revenue will not last forever. The system lost about $3.5 million in fare revenue when they made the busses free. He says the program is having a positive effect on the community but thinks it might have to be modified in the future.

“Maybe there’s got to be some return to a middle ground of a lower fare, certainly less than $1.75,” explained Lipka. “We should be able to use an EBT card to buy transit and provide discounts to students.”

Greg Sullivan of the Pioneer Institute in Boston said more than 100 communities offer some form of free bus service.

“It’s great to see communities think about this, but where the rubber meets hits the road is paying for the busses to roll on the road, and it costs a lot of money,” said Sullivan.

For example, he says there is no way the MBTA can pick up the costs of providing free bus service. He adds that most municipalities can’t foot that bill either.

Sullivan thinks Boston’s plan could provide an important boost for the area, which was hit hard by the pandemic. “It’s a stimulating and economic region of the city that’s been deprived of public transit, really rapid transit.”

Advocates of free fares say there are other plusses besides saving riders money. Busses run more efficiently because people can get on and off more easily. The environment benefits because busses don’t idle for as long.

Mayor Wu thinks expanding free transit would be transformative for the city. “It is the single fastest way that we can achieve our goals when it comes to all of what we’re talking about in the city of Boston, from equity and economic mobility to our climate justice goals.”

Senator Ed Markey and Representative Ayanna Presley have co-sponsored “The Freedom to Move Act,” which would fully fund fare-free public transit.

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