Chris Lisinski
State House News Service
With the state s coffers awash in unspent funds and commuting patterns evolving amid the pandemic, Sen. Patricia Jehlen told her colleagues Wednesday, July 28 that it s the right time, right now for Massachusetts to test the feasibility of making public bus rides free.
Jehlen joined with Reps. Christine Barber and David LeBoeuf to push the Transportation Committee to advance legislation (H 3403 / S 2340) that would launch a one-year pilot program offering fare-free bus rides on the MBTA and the state s 15 regional transit authorities, including the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority.
Supporters said the statewide test run would bring evidence about the benefits and costs of free bus transit, an idea that has gained traction in some American cities and among advocates, but has yet to be broadly embraced in Massachusetts.
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