The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Department of Transitional Assistance are proposing a program that would slash fares in half for low-income riders.
The proposed fares would apply to passengers between the ages of 26 and 64 who are non-disabled and meet certain income requirements. The program would reduce the fares of all services by approximately 50% for eligible riders to “to make public transit affordable for those who need it most,” according to a press release from the MBTA.
“As we rebuild and restore MBTA service, we are also focused on making fares more affordable, improving quality of life, boosting economic mobility across the entire MBTA service area, and encouraging more riders to return to the system following the pandemic,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said at a press briefing on Monday.
The Healey-Driscoll administration has allocated $5 million in the Commonwealth’s fiscal year 2024 budget for the MBTA to develop a low-income fares program, according to the release. It described the proposed program for low-income passengers as a collaborative effort with the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Riders’ income eligibility for the proposed program would be determined by evaluating their existing enrollment in EOHHS programs, such as SNAP and MassHealth.
The MBTA estimated that the program would cost between $52 and 62 million, including administrative costs and operating costs to meet induced demand.
Christopher Sullivan, a Swampscott resident who was waiting for the bus in downtown Lynn on Monday, said he supports reduced fares for low-income passengers.
“MBTA is utilized by people with reduced incomes and anything to help those people, including me, I’m for it,” Sullivan said. “You have to remember, most of the people on reduced incomes are working stiffs… they’re people that are using the MBTA to get to work, to get to their groceries, to get to their doctor’s appointments.”
The MBTA is currently in the midst of its public-comment process for the proposed program and will gather public feedback through Feb. 29. If approved by the MBTA Board of Directors at its meeting on March 28, the fare changes would go into effect in the spring and summer, according to the release.
Eng encouraged MBTA riders to share their thoughts on the proposed program by providing feedback at one of the MBTA’s public meetings on the subject. Meetings will be held at the Worcester Public Library at 6 p.m. on Feb. 13, at La Colaborativa in Chelsea at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20, and virtually at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27.
