May 10, 2023
Source: Fare-free service on WRTA extended to June 2024
Excerpt:
WORCESTER — The Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board voted unanimously on Thursday to extend fare-free service until June 2024.
“Transportation is a significant expense for families – especially low-income families who rely on public transit systems like the WRTA to get to jobs, schools, medical appointments, and cultural and religious centers,” Andy Saltzberg of the Worcester Zero Fare Coalition said in a press release. “With the extension of the free-fare bus program, people and families in WRTA service areas will continue to have an affordable and equitable transit system we can all be proud of.”
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.
