Could Fare-Free Transit Boost Equity, Increase Ridership for Public Transportation?

Fare-free transit has been proposed as a growing mobility trend that could positively impact cities in Massachusetts and beyond. Many communities across Massachusetts have been thinking about the potential to reshape regional transit dynamics.

In a column written for The Newton Beacon, Dr. Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic of Newton Highlands notes that fare-free transit could be a timely development for the Commonwealth. 

Proponents of fare-free transit argue that it could reduce traffic and fossil fuel use, improve health through more walking, and enable denser, more affordable housing by expanding mobility access. However, fare-free transit is also presented as an equity issue, since transportation costs disproportionately burden low-income households who rely on public transit for work, health care, and social activities.

MBTA data reveal that ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels. Approximately 500,000 riders have used the subway in October 2025 compared to about 750,000 at the same time in 2019. 

Nedeljkovic noted that while 85% of the MBTA's costs are subsidized by other sources, such as a portion of the Massachusetts sales tax, government assessments, and money from the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, fares are also playing a shrinking role in supporting the system.

Fare-free transit has its share of success stories, including internationally and locally. For example, in the Fall River and New Bedford area, the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) went fare-free in January 2024. The region has now seen a 55.5% increase in bus ridership during the first five months of fiscal year 2025, compared to the period before, when fares were free. 

In Worcester, ridership on fare-free service increased 16% in 2024, enabling the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) to record its largest ridership in a century.

These early accomplishments prompted Gov. Maura Healey's administration to allocate $30 million in 2024 to 13 regional transit authorities to support fare-free initiatives.

A Newton-specific question that Nedeljkovic takes on concerns whether fare-free transit could work there. She noted that, in a 2022 analysis, the eight MBTA bus lines that traverse Newton had a daily ridership of slightly more than 2,000 inbound passengers. The highest ridership has been reported on the Route 57 bus.

"Based on full fare collection, at $1.70 per boarding, the MBTA was generating about $7,000 per day from these riders, or around $2 million per year," she wrote. "If the city of Newton could find funding (federal, state, local, or corporate) to compensate the MBTA in return for making these routes fare-free, could we see fare-free transit here? It may be a concept whose time has come."