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Markey, Pressley are back on the free MBTA train with refiled bill
The lawmakers are reintroducing legislation to support fare-free public transit nationwide.
Two Massachusetts politicians are trying again to pass their plan to subsidize fare-free transit nationwide, including in the Boston area.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Ed Markey are reintroducing legislation to appropriate $5 billion annually for grants to support fare-free transit service. Called the Freedom to Move Act, the proposal also looks to expand and improve access “to safe, accessible, and reliable mass transit systems in order to improve the livability of communities,” the bill reads.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is a co-sponsor for the bill, which was first introduced in 2020 and reintroduced again in 2021 and 2023.
“Fare free transit is an economic, racial, and climate justice issue, and it’s high time we invest in public transit as the public good that it is,” Pressley said in a statement. “Our bill would build on the success of fare-free pilot programs in Boston and across the Commonwealth by making robust investments to provide safe, high-quality, and fare-free rides for all.”
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In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu made MBTA bus routes 23, 28, and 29 free as one of her first moves when she took office in 2022. The two-year pilot program was extended until March of 2026, her office announced last year. Wu first supported Pressley and Markey’s bill when she was a Boston City Councilor, in 2020.
Those routes have seen the highest ridership of the entire bus system, Wu said in a statement, and service has improved because each stop is faster.
“Commuters no longer have to ration trips to connect all the pieces of their lives— getting to work and school, or to shop at our local businesses or enjoy a meal, or to access critical healthcare to take care of their families,” Wu said.
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Pressley’s office pointed to two local leaders in fare-free transit: Worcester Regional Transit Authority and the Merrimack Valley Transit, or MeVA. Earlier this year, MeVa became the first in the state to go entirely fare-free with funds from the Fair Share Amendment, also known as the “millionaire’s tax.”
Worcester’s transit system was one of 13 regional transit agencies to receive funds from Governor Maura Healey for fare-free pilot programs last year.
“All across Massachusetts and the country, more communities are joining the fare free revolution,” Markey said in a statement. “Free buses and trains also mean less traffic congestion, cleaner air, and a safer work environment for transit workers.”
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