The transportation budget allocates at least $15 million to new and existing fare-free bus transit programs.
The Massachusetts state budget for 2024 includes funding for a “major expansion” of fare-free bus transit around the state, reports Christian MilNeil in Streetsblog Massachusetts.
“RTAs [Regional Transit Authorities] this year are getting an additional $90 million in state funding from new revenue that the state is collecting from a newly-enacted income tax on high-income households. That additional funding nearly doubles the state's financial support to the RTAs this year compared to the 2023 budget,” amounting to almost twice the 2023 budget. The legislation requires that $15 million be spent on free fare programs.
See the source article for a list of new fare-free programs that are slated to go into effect this year.
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