MA: LRTA: Free bus fares through June 2026
State grant money will continue to fund the fare free pilot program for transportation services across the commonwealth, including the communities serviced by the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, until June 30, 2026.
“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,” LRTA Administrator David Bradley said.
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. The funding was provided in the fiscal 2025 budget, and the free service commenced Dec. 1, 2024. The LRTA received $1,170,257.
RTAs 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 Myerssaid by email 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.”
The LRTA began operations in late 1976, and is funded by the federal and state governments, local assessments, as well as income generated from farebox, parking and advertising revenues. Its operating budget is $12 million.
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 from Gillig of Livermore, California. The buses made their regional transit debut in August, and expanded 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.
District 8 City Council candidate Marcos Candido called the extended free fare program “amazing news!”
The Highlands resident’s campaign platform includes improving the public transportation system and supporting safe streets initiatives. He said free fares increase ridership and reduce traffic, which makes Lowell’s roads safer.
“Free fares are a massive boon for so many reasons,” Candido said by text Monday. “I could go on for days about the positives of improving our public transportation system, but at the very least, with the buses being free, I think Lowell needs to be rapidly improving bus service in the coming years to make sure we can get the best use out of it.”
© 2025 The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
Visit www.lowellsun.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.