Worcester public transit will remain fare-free for 5th year
Decision lauded by riders and business leaders
Public transit in Worcester and surrounding communities will remain free to ride for a fifth year.
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority’s advisory board voted unanimously Thursday to continue fare-free service. The authority eliminated fares on WRTA buses and paratransit vehicles in 2020, making it one of the largest, longest-running, fare-free transit programs in the country.
Advocates who have been urging the agency to keep service free to ride celebrated the decision.
“Fare-free policies help more riders access public transportation, which benefits our residents, our employers, our economy, and our environment,” state Senator Robyn Kennedy, who represents parts of Worcester, said in a statement.
Since eliminating fares, the WRTA has transformed from a transit agency struggling to attract riders to one that has soared past its pre-pandemic ridership level. The agency provides bus and paratransit service to Worcester, the second-largest city in New England, and 36 surrounding communities in Central Massachusetts.
Before the pandemic in fiscal 2019, ridership had been declining after the WRTA increased fares and cut service in 2017 to cover its budget gap. The WRTA’s fare revenue in 2019 — about $3 million — only covered about 7 percent of operating expenses when accounting for the estimated $850,000 the agency was spending on fare collection staff, maintenance, and equipment.
Only three of the state’s 15 regional transit authorities surpassed their respective pre-pandemic ridership level last year. In Worcester, last year’s ridership exceeded its pre-pandemic level by about 30 percent. One of the other two, Merrimack Valley Transit, is also fare-free. The other is the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.
Riders who depend on the WRTA to get around, the local chamber of commerce, some of the city’s largest employers, and Worcester’s state legislators say that the benefits of eliminating fares far outweigh the cost of the lost fare revenue.
“Free fare has not only grown ridership, but it has also greatly increased the opportunity for members of the community to have access to jobs in and around the city,” said Tim Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, in a statement.
The WRTA’s decision to remain fare-free comes as public transit agencies across the state grapple with dwindling federal pandemic funds and uncertain state funding for their operations in coming years.
Reggie Ramos, executive director of Transportation for Massachusetts, a public transportation advocacy group, lauded the benefits of the fare-free policy in Worcester. In a statement, she urged “state leaders and other stakeholders to continue to explore additional funding to make the fare free policy permanent.”