A bus serving the MBTA's Route 28 pulls into the Nubian Square terminal. Photo by King TransitMA | CC BY-SA 4.0
Riders who board the MBTA’s Route 28 buses in Boston later this year won’t have to pay a fare under a three-month pilot program announced Monday.
The program that starts Aug. 29 will last until Nov. 29, according to a statement from the office of acting Mayor Kim Janey.
The goal is to boost the city’s pandemic economic recovery and provide financial relief for some of the city’s residents hardest hit by COVID-19.
Route 28 is one of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s busiest bus routes, with almost 13,000 riders per weekday pre-pandemic, the mayor’s office said. More than two-thirds of those passengers are classified as low-income, according to MBTA’s most recent systemwide survey.
The route runs from Mattapan Square to Ruggles Station by way of Nubian Square and Roxbury Crossing, providing connections to key bus, subway and commuter rail routes.
“As someone who depends, like many Bostonians, on consistent and reliable MBTA service, I know firsthand how vital Route 28 is for the economic corridor that connects Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester,” Janey said in a statement. “The Route 28 Free Fare pilot program demonstrates the city’s commitment to making transportation accessible and affordable for residents and commuters.”
The city is providing $500,000 to fund the pilot, which will be jointly managed by the Boston Transportation Department and the MBTA. The agencies will conduct surveys to measure the program’s impacts on commuting times, on-time reliability and rider experience.
At-large City Councilor Michelle Wu, who has long championed the idea of a fare-free MBTA, joined Janey for the announcement. She and Janey have emerged as the leading candidates for mayor in September’s preliminary election. Wu’s office also released a white paper, produced in collaboration with Northeastern University’s Dukakis Center, outlining how the pilot could be broadened into a city-wide, fare-free bus network.
“Today’s announcement shows that free bus service is possible in Boston when we organize to make it happen, but we don’t just need one free route through Election Day – we need a system that reaches across our city,” she said in a statement emailed to Banker & Tradesman. “That’s why I’ve been fighting for years to deliver fare-free transit and today released a roadmap to broaden this first step toward a fare-free bus system for Boston. I’m grateful for all the advocates, riders, and community members who have shown up time and again to organize for our shared future. We owe it to Boston residents to do more in this critical moment.”
