Boston pushes for fare-free bus expansion, says 42% of riders saved money

Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge said the cost savings to users and increased ridership recorded halfway through the city’s fare-free bus pilot makes a strong case for removing fares on other forms of public transportation.

A city analysis, released Tuesday, showed 42% of riders using the three free bus routes in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester saved money in the first year of the program. Twenty-six percent saved $20 or more in October, which could result in a two-year savings of $480.

Further, ridership increased by 35% on these three fare-free routes, 23, 28 and 29, from the fall of 2021 to fall 2022, compared to the 15% uptick seen throughout the MBTA system, the report stated.

“We’ve seen ridership growth on these three lines significantly outpace growth on the system as a whole,” Franklin-Hodge said. “And we’ve seen that growth be absorbed by the buses without increasing delay or reducing performance of the bus.

“All of which goes to show that a fare-free bus can be a better-performing bus when you don’t have that delay as people get on board. You can open up the doors and everybody just hops on.” ..............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/fare-collection/news/53028630/ma-boston-pushes-for-farefree-bus-expansion-says-42-of-riders-saved-money