 | Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey announce free fare pilot on
MBTA Route 28. (Photo by Chutze Chou) |
BOSTON - July 26,
2021 - Mayor Kim Janey has announced that the City of Boston will
begin a free fare pilot on MBTA Route 28 starting August 29th for three
months to November 29th. Route 28 riders will be able to board buses at all
doors without needing to pay a fare.
Route 28 is one of
the MBTA’s highest ridership bus routes both prior and during the COVID-19
pandemic, carrying approximately 12,880 riders every weekday pre-pandemic.
Ridership is generally steady throughout the day compared to most other
routes that see low off-peak ridership. The route runs from Mattapan Square
to Ruggles Station by way of Nubian Square and Roxbury Crossing. It serves
as a vital connection for the residents of Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester
to the MBTA’s key bus, subway and commuter rail networks. The neighborhoods
are home to families that pay a higher percentage of their household income
on transportation compared to most other neighborhoods.
“As someone who
depends, like many Bostonians, on consistent and reliable MBTA service, I
know firsthand how vital Route 28 is for the economic corridor that
connects Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester. The Route 28 Free Fare pilot
program demonstrates the City’s commitment to making transportation
accessible and affordable for residents and commuters,” said Mayor Janey.
“I am grateful for the partnership of the MBTA and the Boston
Transportation Department for their collaboration in realizing this
effort.”
“We appreciate the
opportunity to partner with the City of Boston on this pilot,” said MBTA General
Manager Steve Poftak. “We look forward to evaluating it and learning more
about its impacts on ridership and the transit network.”
Funded by a $500,000
investment from the City of Boston, the goal of the pilot is to provide
direct benefit to some of Boston’s communities who have been hardest hit by
the COVID-19 pandemic. More than two-thirds of riders on Route 28 are
classified as low-income according to MBTA’s most recent systemwide survey.
The free fares will lessen riders’ financial burden at a time when economic
vulnerability is at a historic high, and all-door boarding will speed
boarding and travel times on a route that frequently runs behind schedule.
Together, this will help Route 28 riders more easily join in the City’s
reopening and recovery efforts.
The Boston
Transportation Department and the MBTA will jointly manage the pilot
program, making any adjustments as necessary. To evaluate the pilot, the
agencies will be collecting operational data and conducting rider surveys.
Key metrics relative to the goals of the initiative include travel time
impacts, on-time reliability, rider experience, and ridership.
The pilot also
coincides with the City of Boston’s effort to improve transit service along
Blue Hill Avenue, Warren Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. City agencies are
working with local community groups and abutters to make these corridors
safer to cross for pedestrians, have improved traffic flow including for
buses, and be stress-free for people on bicycles. Earlier this July, the City
also submitted an application for $25 million in federal funding for Blue
Hill Avenue with the support of the MBTA.
The Pilot is part of
a larger initiative to help with economic recovery after the initiatives
including a now completed program to distribute free MBTA and Bluebikes
passes to small business employees at the City’s Main Streets districts and
the outdoor dining program.
For more
information on the Route 28 Pilot Program, visit www.boston.gov/28bus
and mbta.com/28pilot. (From Mayor's office)
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