Coronavirus: WRTA Stops Fare Enforcement, Enacts Rear Boarding

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester Regional Transit Authority said Tuesday that it will begin requiring riders to board buses at rear doors, and will stop enforcing fare collection. The changes are being made to protect bus drivers and passengers from coronavirus, WRTA said.

The policy will be in effect for at least the next 30 days, and comes after bus drivers on Monday held a protest outside the WRTA building. The protest was organized by the Local 22 Amalgamated Transit Union.

WRTA had resisted rear-door boarding — something the MBTA did on March 20 — because of the fare collection issue, union officials told MassLive.

The changes will go into effect on April 1, WRTA said. Disabled riders will still be allowed to board at the front of buses to use lifts.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Worcester had been on a path to studying whether to make WRTA fare-free. An initial public hearing on the idea was held on Feb. 23, and dozens of people turned out to support the idea.