Fare-free WRTA buses could be in for the long haul

Cyrus Moulton, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
Buses at the WRTA Central Hub on Foster Street in a file photo.

WORCESTER - A Worcester Regional Transit Authority panel unanimously recommended that buses remain fare-free for the next year, with money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act making up for a lack of passenger revenue.

The recommendation came from the Worcester Regional Transit Authority's Working Audit and Finance Committee, which met Wednesday morning.

“It just wouldn’t be right; now is not the right time to go back” to fares, Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board Chairman and Finance Committee member Gary Rosen said, referencing high inflation and the ongoing search for a new administrator.

“It’s been certainly a national model and good for riders,” Rosen continued. “We appreciate and need…zero fare to continue.”

A revised budget will be presented to the full Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board for approval at an upcoming meeting.

The Worcester Regional Research Bureau advocated for a fare-free Worcester Regional Transit Authority in a May 2019 report, and the idea quickly gained traction in the city as a way to boost the transit authority’s ridership, make the system more economically and socially equitable, and help the environment.

But it took the coronavirus pandemic to implement the change.

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority suspended fares in March 2020, and instituted rear-door boarding to ease congestion and allow greater social distancing. It also substantially reduced service as ridership plummeted while people stayed home.

Since then, the advisory board has extended the fare-free rides multiple times, the last time being until June 2023.

It also made fare-free service a part of the annual budget discussions.

Budget discussions for fiscal 2024 (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024) began Wednesday morning with a presentation for the audit and finance committee.

Although Worcester Regional Transit Authority Deputy Administrator and CFO Tom Coyne included a projected $3.6 million in passenger revenue as a “placeholder” in the budget documents, he noted that the Worcester Regional Transit Authority’s $19.8 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money could replace that projected revenue and still ensure a balanced budget.

Committee members voted unanimously to take $3.6 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money to cover fare-free service for the upcoming year and to amend the budget to reflect this change.

“Fare-free makes all the difference for folks in our community,” said Jasmin Rivas, an advisory board member from Southbridge.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Fare-free Worcester Regional Transportation Authority buses could be in for long haul