Fare policy
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MBTA Proposes More Tweaks to Long-Delayed ‘Fare Transformation’ Initiative
Cubic, the vendor that's supposed to deliver the T's new fare system, is having trouble with similar systems in California and New York.
May 23, 2024
Mass. Senate Proposes Fare-Free Buses for Regional Transit Authorities Statewide (But Not the T)
The budget-writing committee of the Massachusetts Senate published its 2025 spending recommendations this week, with a notable increase in funding for the state's Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs).
May 10, 2024
Worcester RTA Board Votes to Extend Fare-Free Buses Through 2025
The governing board of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) has formally voted to extend fare-free operations into mid-2025, extending the agency's distinction as the longest-running fare-free transit network in the United States.
April 18, 2024
Worcester Is Poised to Renew Fare-Free Transit Policy for One More Year
Last month, the governing board of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) has directed the agency's administration to prepare a 2025 budget that assumes one more year of fare-free operation.
April 1, 2024
MBTA Board Approves New Half-Priced Fare for Low-Income Riders
On Thursday, the MBTA Board of Directors voted unanimously to implement a new low-income fare structure, which could become available to riders later this spring or summer.
March 27, 2024
Poll Finds Overwhelming Public Support for Worcester’s Fare-Free Buses
A new MassINC poll of residents who live in the greater Worcester region found that the public overwhelmingly supports the city's fare-free bus program, which as been in place since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
March 20, 2024
Mayor Wu Pledges Two More Years of Fare-Free Operations On Routes 28, 29, and 23
On Tuesday, Mayor Michelle Wu formally announced the City of Boston would continue to support fare-free operations on three Dorchester and Mattapan bus routes until March 2026.
February 6, 2024
MBTA Plans to Offer Half-Priced Fares for Low-Income Riders Later This Year
During Friday's Audit and Finance Subcommittee meeting of the MBTA board of directors, MBTA officials announced their intention to implement a new half-priced fare for low-income riders within the next few months.
January 19, 2024
Billion-Dollar State Tax Cut Includes Expanded Deductions for Bike and Transit Expenses
The new law, which is effective retroactively to January 1, 2023, will let taxpayers deduct a much broader range of transportation expenses.
October 4, 2023
Poll: Free Fares Could Rival Reliable Service For Attracting New Riders To the T
57 percent of the poll's respondents said that making the T free to ride would make them more likely to use transit; 37 percent said that fare-free service would make them "much more likely" to ride.
September 21, 2023