Worcester Fare-Free Movement Goes Public Monday

WORCESTER, MA — The movement to make Worcester Regional Transit Authority buses fare-free goes public on Monday as a City Council committee holds its first hearing on the idea. Activists acknowledge there's plenty of work left to be done, but say they are looking forward to showing how much support the movement has.

The fare-free idea was officially proposed in a report released last May by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. In January, Councilor Gary Rosen took over the Council's transportation committee, and forged ahead with holding hearings on the idea.

Brenna Robeson, a co-chair of the group Zero Fare WRTA, said transit activists are hopeful that something can happen in the coming months. The first step is likely a pilot program to test out of the free-fare system on a few routes before expanding it system-wide.

"Ultimately, we want better service for everybody who needs to use the bus, and we want this to be a smart, strong move for WRTA," Robeson said. "It can't be a butchered race to make fares free."

WRTA Administrator Dennis Lipka said this week that the agency is doing its own internal work on the issue. The soonest a fare-free pilot could start, he said, would be after the 2021 fiscal year starts in July.

READ: Free Buses In Worcester: Councilor Wants To Move On Idea

The agency is in the midst of three different internal studies that touch on free-fare, Lipka said. One study will look at replacing WRTA's fare collection system in a bid to go cash-free. Even with free fares, the buses would still have to have a way to keep track of ridership and how people are using the system. Another internal study will look exclusively at how fare-free would work. That report will be delivered to the WRTA board by December.

Lipka said that going fare-free would be a major challenge for the transit system, and there are still a lot of questions about how it would work.

The WRTA fare is $1.75, and the system serves 37 cities and towns in the region. Funding a year of fare-free transit could run as high as $3.5 million, Lipka said. But one of the bigger points the Worcester Regional Research Bureau made was that free buses might boost ridership, and higher ridership brings means more reimbursement from state and federal sources.

The movement also has strong political backing. Rosen sits on the WRTA board, and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce is behind the idea. Robeson said her group is working with the chamber to get state funding for a pilot program. The group is also planning a forum in March featuring Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu — she's proposed making the MBTA free — and Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, whose city has made some local bus routes free.

There are plenty of other local community groups backing the idea, from public health advocates to environmental groups, Robeson said.

"When it comes down to it, public transit is a human right. We all have to get around," Robeson said.

The first fare-free hearing begins at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Esther Howland chamber at City Hall.