Merrimack Valley Transit (MeVa) has become the first transit agency in Massachusetts to permanently implement a fare-free policy for riders, following a successful three-year pilot program. The advisory board voted 15-0 (with one abstention) to make this decision, which was based on a comprehensive business analysis indicating substantial increases in ridership and financial benefits exceeding $2 million annually. The fare-free program, initially funded by federal COVID-19 relief, has significantly increased usage and access to transportation across 16 communities in the region, solidifying the program's sustainability through state funding.
Since transportation is the key to everything, the positive impact of fare-free buses has broad reaching impact across all sectors.
The quantitative financial benefits of the fare-free program are over $2 million annually, exceeding the amount previously collected from fares.
#public-transportation #fare-free-policy #massachusetts #transit-ridership #merrimack-valley-transit
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