Worcester councilor wants $10M state pilot for fare-free WRTA
Photo | WBJ File
A WRTA bus
With the Worcester City Council on Tuesday night approving a measure to hold a public hearing on the idea of eliminating fares on the Worcester Regional Transit Authority, one of its lead advocates, City Councilor-at-Large Gary Rosen, said state funding would be key to making the unique measure affordable.
“I've gotten a few calls and emails asking me how we will pay for it,” Rosen told WBJ in an interview Thursday. “If it’s free, we lose a few million dollars each year at the fare box… I am not asking Worcester taxpayers to come up with the millions lost.”
His idea is to ask the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to designate a three-year pilot program in Worcester and have the commonwealth pick up the tab.
“Let’s say we will need from $8 million to $10 million to make up for the lost revenues for three years,” he said. “If we can get that in addition to what the state already gives the WRTA, we can afford to do this. If no one uses the free buses over three years, then we have a problem.”
In a report issued last spring, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, an independent, non-partisan group that analyzes public policy, called the WRTA a perfect candidate for a fare-free bus system.
The report calculated that the up to $3 million annual cost to provide free service could be made up through cost savings, increased governmental aid, and partnerships. Researchers found offering the service for free would reverse the system’s declining ridership.
The regional transit system serves Worcester and 36 communities in Central Massachusetts with a fleet of electric and diesel-electric hybrid buses. Adult fares are $1.75, and riders can save money if they get a monthly pass for $57.
But like many cities, the WRTA suffers from low and declining ridership. It’s not uncommon to see empty buses or ones with few riders on them, councilors said. Research suggests going fare-free will boost ridership and service.
Rosen said four dozen U.S. cities including Lawrence, Kansas City, and Olympia, Wash., and are using some form of fare free public transportation.
District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera, who co-sponsored Tuesday's measure, said the WRTA is dysfunctional and needs to be brought into the 21st century.
“Worcester is the largest city in the New England...and I feel like our public transportation system is an embarrassment,” Rivera said.
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I thought this was a free bus service. It cost money?
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