MA: Mass. Rep Pressley, Sen. Markey make new push for fare-free MBTA, public transit

Two Massachusetts pols are taking another crack at making public transportation fare-free nationwide, including the MBTA in Greater Boston.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D- Mass., and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D- 7th District, recently reintroduced legislation they’ve dubbed the "Freedom to Move Act," which would support state and local efforts to make public transit free for all users.

"By making public transit free, we can alleviate the high burden of transportation costs on working families while building a system that is more accessible and efficient," Markey said in a statement.

Such programs are “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 added.

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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D- Mass., is also a cosponsor of the Senate’s version of the legislation.

As it’s currently written, the bill would authorize a $5 billion competitive grant program to help state and local governments implement fare-free programs.

It also would ensure that transit agencies that receive the money use it to “address and close equity gaps in current transit systems,” the two lawmakers said.

The legislation, first introduced in 2020, would build on existing efforts in Boston as well as programs already in place in Worcester and the Merrimack Valley, Pressley and Markeys said in a joint statement.

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“Fare-free transit is an investment in the public good and in our economy and communities,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who’s running for reelection this year, said. “Boston’s fare-free bus routes have had the highest ridership of the entire bus system, and we’ve seen improved service from buses being able to load faster at each stop.

The $60 billion state budget that Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed into law earlier this month provided $209 million to regional transit authorities across the state to provide fare-free transportation.

The reintroduced legislation would particularly help lower-income families who spend nearly 30% of their household income on transportation expenses, Markey and Pressley said.

Getting more people onto buses and subways also would ease traffic congestion and environmental concerns in such traffic-choked cities as Boston, they added.

“Making our transit infrastructure fare-free will help folks access essential resources like jobs, school, child care, the grocery store, and the hospital while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making our communities more connected,” Pressley said.

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