Free T bus sped service, even got some to ditch cars — but saved few money, MBTA says
“Cities are piloting free fares to demonstrate that it’s not that expensive, it will increase ridership and improve service.”
Free Bus:
Since the MBTA’s 28 bus became free to ride last year, service has improved and some commuters have ditched their cars in favor of the bus. But most people on the free bus still ended up paying for their fare through a monthly pass or when they transferred to another part of the system, the T said Thursday.
The preliminary results of the first six months of fare-free service on the 28 come as Boston plans to expand fare-free service to include the 23 and 29 routes for two years starting March 1 using $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to reimburse the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for lost revenue.
The new information came in a presentation about alternative fare proposals to MBTA oversight board members Thursday. The agency’s assistant general manager for policy and transit planning said eliminating fares on the 28 bus has reduced wait times at bus stops by about 20 percent and increased ridership by about 22 percent compared to similar lines, including about five percent of trips that would have otherwise been car trips.
Two-thirds of riders who have taken the fare-free 28 bus ended up paying a fare, though, by purchasing a monthly T pass or transferring to another transit line that charges a fare, Lynsey Heffernan said. Twenty-one percent of riders saved more than $20 per month, and 12 percent of riders saved less than $20 per month.
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