Worcester Considers Using Stimulus Funds for Public Transit governing.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from governing.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
WRTA board votes to extend fare suspension through June
Updated Feb 18, 2021;
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board voted Thursday morning to extend the suspension of fare collection through June.
The motion passed 8-0, with an abstention coming from WRTA Advisory Board chairperson William J. Lehtola. As it stands, fares will resume on July 1.
The discussion Thursday morning centered around the allocation of the $37.2M the WRTA received in COVID relief funds from the CARES Act. Advocates for a fare-free system, many from the Zero-Fare WRTA coalition, have been promoting using the funds to continue a suspension of fare collection.
Support for zero-fare WRTA continues to grow as Mass. Audubon Society urges city to extend fare suspension
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
More support continues to roll in for an extension of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority’s suspension of fares.
The Mass. Audubon Society is the latest organization to vocalize its support for an extension of the WRTA’s fare free policy, which was enacted last March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, the WRTA Advisory Board debated continuing the fare-free policy or reinstating fares. As it stands, fares will resume on March 1. The board will vote on the future of the fare-free service at its next meeting. In the meantime, WRTA’s finance subcommittee will meet to review a budget for CARES Act money that was awarded to the WRTA and determine if the funds are eligible for use for a permanent zero-fare service.