Saturday, September 26, 2020

WRTA extends free fares to end of year

WORCESTER — The Worcester Regional Transit Authority will remain fare free at least until the end of the year, as advisory board members worried that reinstituting fares may be premature if COVID-19 surges in the fall.

https://www.telegram.com/news/20200919/wrta-extends-free-fares-to-end-of-year

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Benefits of #freepublictransit via @livingonearth

BELTRAN: Surveys show that most of the riders in the free bus program make less than 20,000 dollars a year. And since the program started, ridership has gone up about 20% percent.
RIVERA: I think that I get two reactions, one that people are happy. And two is when are we going to expand it?
BELTRAN: Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera was a key driver behind the city’s free bus program. He says it’s a way to help low income residents.
RIVERA: You give people the ways to go make a good living, or go to school or go to the doctor's office or do all those things without worrying about having a car. With a very small infusion of funds you can give people a decent amount of relief in their wallet.
https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=20-P13-00012 

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Candidate for US Congress from MA-08 calls for #freepublictransit

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

President of Massachusetts Senate supports #freepublictransit for Worcester

The benefits of providing regional transit authority services without charging a fare are clear but hard to quantify, Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler said in a recent letter to the Worcester City Council.
..."As Worcester continues to undergo a renaissance, there has never been a better time to undertake a zero-fare approach to the [Worcester Regional Transit Authority]. It has been shown to dramatically increase ridership across demographic groups and destigmatize the use of public transit, bringing with it numerous benefits," Chandler, a Worcester Democrat, wrote. "Increased ridership offers potential for increased pedestrian traffic in our downtown and commercial districts, generating more lively, walkable areas and increased foot traffic for our businesses."
https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2020/03/never-been-a-better-time-for-fare-free-public-transit-in-worcester-massachusetts-senate-president-emerita-harriette-chandler-says-in-letter-of-support.html 

Friday, March 6, 2020

Support #freepublictransit candidates

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Fare-free bus idea gains traction in Worcester via @NCKotsopoulos

WORCESTER - Advocates for a fare-free Worcester bus system filled the City Council chamber Monday night to make their case.
About 90 people, reflecting a wide cross section of the community, attended the first in a series of public hearings before the City Council Public Service and Transportation Committee to consider recommendations made by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau last May for a fare-free bus system.
During 90 minutes of public testimony, 37 people spoke, a vast majority in favor of giving the fare-free system a try.
Those who spoke included representatives from the local business community, college students, environmental advocates, community and social justice activists, and many everyday riders of Worcester Regional Transit Authority buses.
https://www.telegram.com/news/20200224/fare-free-bus-idea-gains-traction-in-worcester