A Brief History of the MBTA’s Free New Year’s Eve Rides
The MBTA’s now-32-year-old plan to provide free rides to New Year’s Eve revelers isn’t just a nice tradition; it was fundamental in the rise of Boston’s First Night as a signature event for the city.
On Wednesday night, the MBTA will once again have free rides after 8 p.m. for anyone taking the T. The tradition began for New Year’s 1984 as one of Governor Michael Dukakis’s many efforts to promote public transit, particularly as a way to get the inebriated home safely.
Those free rides saw almost immediate benefits for First Night. 200,000 people attended that year’s event, a tally one-third higher than the year before, The Boston Globe reported on January 2, 1984. The MBTA’s free rides were one of a few reasons given for that dramatic rise.
“Organizers attributed the surge in attendance, up from 150,00 last year, to the festival’s growing reputation — aided by the good weather and free transportation provided by the MBTA,’’ The Globe wrote.
The free rides continued the next few years, and attendance shot up even further. By the 1987 celebration, the MBTA added 50 buses and 50 Green line trolleys, The Globe reported, and Boston welcomed 500,000 people to First Night.
“We’re really trying to support the governor’s program to eliminate drunken driving,’’ an MBTA spokesman said at the time.
By the 1993 New Year’s celebration, the MBTA served about 500,000 people attending First Night, according to The Globe. The practice continued over the years and became more of a footnote to the write-ups about the event.
32 years of free rides later, the MBTA’s wording remains pretty similar (albeit less directly about drunk driving).
“The MBTA shares the mayor’s desire to make First Night activities as safe as possible for everyone who chooses to celebrate in our great city,’’ MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said Tuesday.
About a million people are expected to attend this year’s First Night.
*Correction: This story initially miscalculated the number of years since the MBTA’s free rides began. This year is the 32nd time New Year’s Eve rides will be free, not the 22nd time. We regret the error.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com