Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Regional Transit Authorities

Riders check out a newly-rebranded Merrimack Valley Transit bus, with colorful red, blue, and orange stripes wrapped around this bus, next to a fall-themed park with haybales, mums, and pumpkins in Lawrence, Massachusetts. In the background are several triple-decker apartment buildings. Courtesy of Merrimack Valley Transit.

RTAs Are Giving Their Riders A Holiday Bonus

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 21, 2022 | No Comments

All 15 of the commonwealth's Regional Transit Authorities (every non-MBTA bus route in the state, in other words) will suspend fare collection for the holiday season, from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve.

Noah Berger, administrator of the MVRTA, stands in the open doorway of an MVRTA bus.

Higher Wages, No Fares, and a Massage Chair: How the MVRTA Is Recruiting New Drivers

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 25, 2022 | No Comments

Bucking a nationwide trend of driver shortages, the MVRTA is expanding its workforce of bus drivers and adding more service.

The WRTA's downtown bus hub, next to Worcester's Union Station.

A Fix for Chronic Transit Funding Shortfalls Could Be Up To the Voters This Fall

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 1, 2022 | No Comments

It’s become an annual rite of spring: transit agencies across Massachusetts are examining blooms of red ink in their budgets for the next fiscal year, and wondering whether state lawmakers will step in and give them the funding they need to avoid service cuts. This year, though, voters may be able to take matters into […]

Mayor Michelle Wu celebrating newly fare-free bus routes at Jackson Square

Over A Dozen Bus Routes Across Massachusetts Ditch Their Fareboxes Today

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 1, 2022 | No Comments

"Our goal is for Boston to be a proving ground joining with communities across the state that are really transforming what's possible for residents by taking down barriers to access, making buses more reliable, more affordable, and more accessible for all," said Mayor Wu at a press event at the Jackson Square Orange Line station on Tuesday morning.

A route 28 bus advertising the fare-free pilot passes through Grove Hall on Blue Hill Avenue on October 5, 2021.

More Fare-Free Buses Coming to Lawrence, Haverhill, and Boston

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 1, 2021 | No Comments

Officials approved two major expansions in fare-free bus service on Wednesday: in Boston, the City Council formally endorsed Mayor Wu’s proposal to fund fare-free service on three MBTA routes in Dorchester, and earlier in the day, the Advisory Board of the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA), which serves Haverhill, Lawrence, and surrounding communities, voted […]

Garren Kalter. Photo courtesy of Clark University.

Clark University Student Proposes Bus Network Redesign for Worcester

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 20, 2021 | No Comments

Currently, WRTA buses run every 30 to 60 minutes, but Kalter thinks that the agency could potentially run buses on a simplified network every 10 minutes, 18 hours a day.

Show More Stories