NEW BEDFORD – For those who rely on the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority bus route for transportation, the $1.50 fare typically collected per ride can add up quickly, says transit planning director Shayne Trimbell.
“To someone making only $15,000 a year, [fare money] is something they can do better with,” Trimbell said. “That’s money they can put into savings, put toward their family, towards renting a better apartment ... or they can use it to support local businesses and shop in stores.”
This financial struggle is a daily reality for many of the service's passengers, Trimbell said, many of whom live at or below the poverty line. Even measures such as a $30 monthly pass, implemented with the intention of helping the SRTA's most frequent passengers save money, often remain out of reach due to the up-front cost.
But since Jan. 1, passengers have experienced some relief: From the beginning of the year through June, all SRTA routes will run fare-free, thanks to a $1,382,388 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The initiative, "Try Transit," has made an appearance in the region before, running for five weeks in 2022. That timeline didn't leave the SRTA with much time to see results, Trimbell said, and the transit organization won't have data prepared for the renewed initiative until the end of the month.
But with six months to work with under the new funding source, Trimbell expects to see a strong impact on ridership levels, and quality of life improvements for the service's passengers. And from speaking with customers, the service anecdotally seems to be a hit so far, he said.
The free fare program extends across all fixed SRTA bus routes, as well as demand response services that serve residents who are unable to ride the bus routes due to disabilities. In the Massachusetts fiscal 2024 budget, all transit authorities throughout the state received grant funding to operate a free fare initiative.
The most recent iteration of Try Transit comes on the heels of Rhode Island ending its own initiative to offer free bus transportation. From September 2022 through September 2023, the R.I. Public Transit Authority suspended the regular $2 fare for passengers taking its most popular bus service, the R-Line route, and for paratransit riders who started and ended their trips within three-fourths of a mile of this route.
Like the SRTA, RIPTA financed the program through a state budget allocation, with the General Assembly ultimately allocating $3.25 million in America Rescue Plan Act funds towards the pilot program. The program received a month-long extension beyond its original expiration date in order to allow passengers more time to prepare for resumed fare enforcement, RIPTA officials said at the time of the announcement.
RIPTA didn't provide exact ridership figures for the program's duration. But throughout its run, "the R-Line outperformed the RIPTA system overall in terms of ridership growth," said RIPTA spokesperson Cristy Raposo Perry.
"However, the growth in ridership was mostly attributed to existing riders taking more trips, taking shorter trips, and favoring the R-Line over other nearby routes since it was free," Raposo Perry added.
RIPTA currently has no plans to renew the initiative, citing prohibitive costs.
"Given the annual cost of this pilot and RIPTA’s current budget outlook, it is not financially feasible for RIPTA to continue this program," Raposo Perry said. "Despite revenue replacement funding from the state, RIPTA lost roughly $5.1 million in fare revenue over the course of the pilot."
The SRTA free fare program's future beyond the end of June currently remains uncertain, Trimbell said, with the organization unable to cover the fares without the state financial award.
“We’re hoping the program will be successful not just for us, but for our sister agencies throughout the commonwealth,” Trimbell said, “and that the state [fiscal 2025] budget will include funding so we can remain free. But it’s too soon to tell now.”
The SRTA makes about 7,500 trips daily during weekday service, mostly centered around Fall River and New Bedford but ultimately connecting 10 communities in southeastern Massachusetts.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
