MA: EDITORIAL: LRTA, MART likely to attract more free riders
State government continues to make it easier to leave that car at home, thanks to a money-saving enticement designed to make riding the bus a much more attractive route.
State grant money will continue to fund the fare-free pilot program for transportation services across the commonwealth until June 30, 2026, likely boosting already robust state ridership, including in the communities serviced by the Lowell Regional Transit Authority and the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority.
"The LRTA wants to thank Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, as well as the Massachusetts State Legislature for funding this free fare transportation pilot program that will greatly benefit our communities," stated LRTA Administrator David Bradley.
Last October, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $30 million in grants to 13 state regional transit authorities to provide year-round, fare-free public transportation services. That service, provided by funding in the fiscal 2025 budget, commenced on Dec. 1, 2024.
The LRTA received $1,170,257 in funding, while the MART netted $1,095,279.
Regional Transit Authorities serve urban, suburban and some rural areas across the state from the Berkshires to the Cape and the Islands.
The LRTA serves its 14 member communities of Lowell, Acton, Billerica, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Maynard, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsboro and Westford, with additional fixed-route destinations in Andover, Bedford, Burlington and Wilmington.
Bus service is often the primary mode of transportation for many Lowell residents, including students.
"Attendance is the most important component of academic and social success," Lowell Public Schools spokesperson Jennifer Myers said by email to the paper on Monday. "Free public transportation is a great way to remove what is a barrier to that success for some Lowell High School students and a hardship for their families."
Myers said the district was grateful to the Healey administration for "investing in the future of our students and the Commonwealth by continuing to prioritize and fund this program. We hope it continues past the current June 30 extension for many years to come."
Fitchburg-based MART, created pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 161B, in August of 1978, serves wide swaths of northern Worcester and western Middlesex counties.
It provides public transportation to three area cities and 22 towns: Fitchburg, Gardner, and Leominster, and the towns of Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Bolton, Boxborough, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, and Winchendon.
Bus fare discounts are provided to the elderly, disabled, veterans, and students.
MART also runs a free shuttle to veterans' centers and hospitals in Boston — from Bedford VA through Jamaica Plain VA — and in Worcester. The shuttles, which run three times a day, depart from the MART Intermodal Center in Fitchburg. Veterans, seniors and the disabled can book an ADA ride from their homes to the Intermodal to board the shuttle.
The shuttle is also open to the general public. Seniors and the disabled receive a discount.
It also operates and maintains four park-and-ride facilities along the MBTA Fitchburg commuter rail line: the Fitchburg Intermodal Transportation Center located in the downtown; the North Leominster Intermodal Transportation Center on Nashua Street in Leominster, Wachusett Station at 55 Authority Drive in West Fitchburg just off Route 2 at Route 31 exit, and across from the Ayer station at 3 Groton Road in Ayer.
The LRTA listed an operating budget of $12 million. MART's total operating expenses for fiscal year 2024 were $14.547 million, according to its audited financial report.
Last October, the LRTA received $6.8 million in federal funding to support the transition from diesel-powered to hybrid-electric buses — a cleaner and more energy-efficient technology.
And over the summer, the LRTA announced the arrival of four new state-of-the art, 30-foot buses, which made their regional transit debut in August, expanding the LRTA's bus fleet to 54.
The energy-efficient vehicles feature an updated red-and-gray color design, and seat up to 27 passengers.
The buses are equipped with one of the industry's most sophisticated camera systems that provides bus drivers with sweeping side and rear views for increased visibility. The upgrades reflect the agency's ongoing effort to improve public transportation and public safety.
As we previously stated, ridership spiked last year on RTAs, surpassing historical numbers, thanks in part to the newly fare-free bus rides available around the state.
Ridership among RTAs, which serve nearly every municipality outside the MBTA's coverage area, shot up to 2.345 million in June 2024, surpassing the pre-COVID level of 2.131 million rides in June 2019.
RTA riders flocked back to the buses following a dramatic pandemic dip that saw ridership drop to 875,000 in fiscal 2020.
Members of the Regional Transit Authority Council highlighted how their local systems had expanded their route maps and timetables in 2024, thanks to boosted funding, which also enabled systems to eliminate fares.
MART's Bruno Fisher said his system added Sunday service to several routes and began rolling out more "microtransit" options.
Hopefully increased RTA ridership translates into fewer cars clogging our roadways, especially during the morning and evening commutes.
This less stressful and cleaner mode of transportation has served our residents — from Greater Lowell to the Twin Cities — well in the past.
And with free fares and boosts in funding, that should continue well into the future.
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