The residents of Worcester will be able to ride the bus for free for another full year.
It’s been free for the past year, too, but the Worcester Regional Transit Authority has done little to promote it.
On Thursday, Nov. 18, the WRTA board voted unanimously to offer fare-free service through 2022.
The WRTA paused fares in March of 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Federal funds from the CARES Act have been used to support the system while fares are suspended.
Advocacy from residents and organizations such as Zero Fare WRTA has kept the policy measure a constant point of focus within the city and during each of the board’s meetings over the past year. As a result, the policy has remained in place since the initial suspension with several extensions. Most recently, the suspension was set to expire on Jan. 1, 2022, but will remain in place due to the board’s extension vote.
Also included in the board’s meeting were unanimous votes to purchase and move to a mobile fare payment system that will only accept card payments and a plan to revise its fare policy for the future.
Whether or not the WRTA will implement a permanent fare-free policy, WRTA administrator Dennis J. Lipka said it’s time to stop using the administrative suspension of fares and make a change to a new fare policy.
“It’s time for us to take stock of where we’re going and how we’re going to run the WRTA,” said WRTA administrator Dennis J. Lipka commented in the meeting. “And if we are going to move away from fare revenue as a major source of funding and move to a different fare structure, then we need to have the advisory board make that a policy of the WRTA and not rely on administrative fiat to do that.”
According to the WRTA, its website is the formal communication of its fare suspension. A review of the website shows a hotlink at the top of the homepage stating, “The WRTA has suspended its Fare Policy until December 31, 2021,” clicking this link takes you to its “Fare Information” page. At the top of the page reads, “The WRTA has extended the suspension of fares on all fixed route, paratransit services until December 31, 2021. During this extension there will be no fares collected on the fixed route and paratransit services.”
The WRTA said each of its bus shelters has a sign about holiday service, which also notes the suspension of fares up until a specific date. The signage is in English and Spanish, according to the WRTA.
“We are in the process of updating the date due to the board vote,” a spokesperson for the WRTA told MassLive.
Etel Haxhiaj, District 5 Councilor-Elect, has been a strong advocate for the WRTA adopting a fare-free policy and says she did not see signage promoting the fare suspension during one of her bus rides this past summer.
“This is a disservice to the riders and larger community,” said Haxhiaj. “The Zero Fare WRTA coalition has been the only entity that has promoted this, and I did, too, during the election. I’m hopeful that the WRTA advisory board the administrator will promote this widely.”
The WRTA did not provide comment on whether or not it will further promote the year-long extended suspension of fares.
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