Quincy Miller

Whether it’s reading about the most recent United Nations report on climate change, the slew of post-COVID job assessments or the skyrocketing costs of Massachusetts housing, it’s clear our commonwealth will be confronting critical challenges that will have an enormous impact on our future. How will we rise to meet the challenge of the climate crisis? How will we better prioritize equity in policymaking and investing? What will it look like for us to attract and care for a post-COVID workforce? 

The connective tissue of many of those questions resides within our public transit system. At the most fundamental level, transportation systems should get people where they need to go, when they need to get there, in an affordable and safe way. But a great public transit system not only connects communities and businesses, it also empowers individuals, expands economic opportunity, supports business growth and bolsters the economy.   

Every great challenge brings great opportunity, and the Massachusetts transit system is no different. There is opportunity in Western and Eastern Massachusetts for a reliable rail system that connects them. In Greater Boston, there is opportunity to address some of the worst traffic in the country. And improved public transit throughout the state can shift systems that have disproportionately burdened low-income families and disconnected communities for too long.  

 Fare-Free Buses Makes a Difference 

As we look at the coming decade, we have the opportunity to not just fix our current system, but to innovate, and invest in creating a better one. Heading into the fall and the election of new state leadership, I join business leaders from across the state calling on the future policymakers of Massachusetts to prioritize investing in efficient, climate-friendly and equitable public transportation solutions that will set our working families and economy up for success.  

To get there, we must focus on securing resources to improve reliability, accessibility and affordability for riders, and reduce the amount of emissions – more than 40 percent of Massachusetts’ total greenhouse gas emissions – from the transportation sector.  

Investing in fare-free public transit is an innovative solution making a difference. The fare free bus pilot program in the Merrimack Valley – where many public transit users live in Gateway Cities like Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill – launched in March and has already led to a staggering 42 percent increase in ridership. Eliminating fees leads to more commuters taking public transportation to get to work, school and other needs, speeds up routes by minimizing boarding time, reduces the number of cars on the road and enables money that would be spent on fares to go towards other needs and local businesses.  

In Boston, the fare free pilot for the MBTA’s 28 bus – which serves as an essential connector for transit critical riders in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester – has already seen promising results since launching in August of last year. In the pilot’s first four months, ridership on the route increased by 38 percent, boarding time decreased significantly and riders found their trips to be more reliable. The pilot also shifted commuters away from other transit methods like cars, and saved one-fifth of riders more than $20 a month.

We must focus on securing resources to improve reliability, accessibility and affordability for riders. 

And now, under Mayor Michelle Wu’s leadership, Boston has expanded the pilot to include three free bus lines focused on supporting underserved communities and low-income riders. Her administration is also exploring how an equity-driven, holistic and creative approach to public and multi-modal transit can transform and expand economic opportunity to neighborhoods throughout the city.  

 Reliable Transit Unlocks Growth 

We’ve also seen the impact innovative approaches to public transit has had in cities around the world. In 2018, I visited Mexico City with business leaders from Massachusetts and members of the Alliance for Business Leadership. We learned about the city’s highly used Metrobús rapid transit system that significantly cut congestion and pollution. With platforms for easy and accessible boarding and dedicated travel lanes, buses passed other vehicles and freed roadways from the severe traffic that plagued the region for decades.  

An astounding 70 percent of Mexico City’s Metrobús riders drove cars prior to the system’s implementation – can you imagine what that shift to public transit would look like in Boston? Worcester? New Bedford? 

Boston’s fare-free pilot program is propelled by federal coronavirus relief funds. Similarly, the Merrimack Valley’s program is fueled by funds tied to the pandemic. As we look to set our communities and economy up for long-term success, it is critical to explore ways to continue funding public transit at the levels needed to maximize its benefits as one of our most essential public resources.   

These investments are not only the right thing to do, they are also the smart thing to do. Not only do they unlock economic opportunity and create a more equitable economy for the those that use them, but they in turn benefit everyone. These investments unlock a stronger economy by increasing access to employment and creating greater productivity. Everyone spends less time in traffic, which in turn improves the economic vitality and attractiveness of our region.   

Building a stronger, more equitable and resilient commonwealth and country demands our policymakers, innovators and business leaders come together to make public transit systems a catalyst for transformative change in our communities. Doing so will protect the environment, strengthen our businesses and improve economic opportunity and quality of life. It’s upon all of us to help get there. 

Quincy Miller is the vice chair and president of Eastern Bank, and a member of the board of directors at the Alliance for Business Leadership