Boston Aims for Fare-Free Transit

If its new mayor gets her way, Boston could soon have fare-free bus travel for everyone, reports Joanna Slater. "Michelle Wu, the city’s newly elected mayor, has made free public transportation a rallying cry and a personal mission, calling it a tool for social justice and tackling climate change."

"Advocates for free transportation say it increases ridership, discourages car use and provides greater access to jobs and education, particularly for lower-income residents and communities of color." Some proponents of free transit say eliminating fares also reduces operating costs. "Noah Berger, the [Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority]’s administrator, said that for every dollar the system collected in fares, 76 cents went to the costs of collecting those fares — from fixing and maintaining fare boxes to physically counting cash."

"Fare-free pilots can be more complex than they appear, said Steven Poftak, general manager of the MBTA. When fares disappear for a bus, they must also be eliminated for transit services for people with disabilities in the same area, generating more demand for such rides." Meanwhile, in Boston's early fare-free pilot, "About two-thirds of the passengers said the free bus service didn’t save them any money, either because they use a monthly transit pass or because they transfer from the bus to a train and must still pay a fare for their journey."

But Wu wants to see fare-free transit spread throughout the greater Boston region. "In the long run, she said, public transportation is 'a public good and should be funded that way.'"