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Merrimack Valley Transit first in state to be permanently fare-free
MeVa's advisory board voted unanimously 15-0, with one abstention, to adopt the fare-free policy permanently.
Merrimack Valley Transit, which serves 16 communities, is now permanently free for riders following an almost three year pilot, making the agency the first in the state to go completely fare-free, the agency announced.
The Merrimack Valley Transit’s advisory board voted 15-0, with one abstention, to adopt the fare-free policy permanently. In a press release, the transit agency said the decision came from reviewing the business analysis of the fare-free program.
“Since transportation is the key to everything, the positive impact of fare-free buses has broad reaching impact across all sectors,” Merrimack Valley Transit, or MeVa, said.
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MeVa services Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Groveland, Amesbury, Merrimac, Newburyport, Salisbury, Andover, North Andover, and other surrounding areas in the northeastern corner of Massachusetts.
The advisory board’s vote came after a firm conducted “a top-to-bottom evaluation and business case analysis” of the program. According to findings presented to the board, more riders are now taking the bus to work, school, businesses, and medical appointments.
The report found the “quantifiable financial benefits of the fare-free program are over $2 million annually, exceeding the amount previously collected from fares.”
MeVa first went fare-free in March of 2022 and was initially funded with federal COVID-19 relief funds. Now, the pilot has been continued with state dollars from the Fair Share Amendment, also known as the “millionaire’s tax.”
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Since the pilot, MeVa said the fare-free program had quadrupled its fixed-route bus ridership and exceeded pre-pandemic levels by more than 60 percent.
In October, MeVa was also one of the 13 Regional Transit Authorities granted additional state funding to continue fare-free pilots across the state, allowing MeVa’s free service to continue through July, Governor Maura Healey’s office announced.
While Healey’s grants didn’t affect the MBTA, Mayor Michelle Wu has supported a fare-free pilot program for the 23, 28, and 29 bus routes since she took office in 2022. Those routes will continue to be free to riders through March of 2026.
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