Zero Fare – Riders Action Council

Letter to the WRTA Advisory Board

October 7, 2021 Members of the WRTA Advisory Board, We are grateful for your decision to suspend fare collection during the pandemic. It has made a great difference to residents in our communities and for the rebounding of the local economy. We ask that you continue to support essential workers during one of the worst public health crises in the nation’s history and vote again to use federal pandemic relief and recovery funds to extend the suspension of fares until the end of 2022. The WRTA Advisory Board and Administrator have maintained that, if financial resources become available, they will [...]

By Noah Rowan|2021-10-22T19:12:58+00:00October 22, 2021|RideAlong! Blog, WRTA and Pandemic, Zero Fare|Comments Off

Sept. 23rd WRTA Board Meeting!

**** MEETING ALERT **** The WRTA Advisory Board is meeting to discuss, among other things, updates on fare collection on the WRTA system. This THURSDAY September 23rd At 8:30 AM The meeting will be held on zoom. Click here for link. **** MEETING ALERT **** Following the Governor’s June 16th extension of many pandemic era policies, public meetings for all sectors of government in the Commonwealth have continued to be hosted online. With online meetings comes the possibility for new levels of public engagement; leaving a zoom webinar running on your laptop while you make breakfast is all it takes to [...]

By Noah Rowan|2021-09-22T20:29:07+00:00September 22, 2021|RideAlong! Blog, Zero Fare|Comments Off

Welcome our new Zero Fare Coalition Coordinator!

This week, the Zero Fare Coalition welcomed a new coordinator, Worcester native Mike Baker! Baker is a long time WRTA rider who commutes on transit and relies on buses, but as a current PhD student at UMass Boston in Public Policy, he is uniquely qualified to look for policy and design solutions. His background is in accessible design and he serves as a board member for EPIC, an organization that supports disabled youth. “Zero Fare is a start, but I also want to fight for improved and enhanced transit accessibility in Worcester” Baker’s PhD research has focused on the geographies [...]

By Noah Rowan|2021-09-22T20:30:08+00:00September 9, 2021|RideAlong! Blog, Welcome, Zero Fare|Comments Off

ZERO FARE Demonstration Speech

Good Afternoon. My name is Nelly Medina. I am the Central Mass regional organizer for Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and a Member of Neighbor 2 Neighbor. I am also a Mom and student who rode the bus to and from college with my young son. Why are we here today? We are here today because the WTRA is not in communion with those of us who rely on the service that they provide. Since before the pandemic, local organizers have advocated for better access and ZERO Fare rides for the cities residents. Our city buses must be more affordable. Public [...]

By admin|2021-05-20T17:09:50+00:00May 20, 2021|Transportation Legislation, Zero Fare|Comments Off

An Act creating a New Deal for Transportation in the Commonwealth

DOWNLOAD FULL BILL HERE FEB. 24, 2021.....A three-step, 12-cent gas tax increase, fare-free MBTA and regional transit authority buses, new surcharges on parking space rentals and purchases, higher ride-hailing fees and more all featured in a new overhaul bill proposed by the Massachusetts Senate's point person on transportation. Transportation Committee Co-chair Sen. Joseph Boncore filed his omnibus proposal on Friday, igniting debate on how to relieve the returning dread of traffic, upgrade unreliable public transit infrastructure, and pay for a range of investments after his branch scuttled a House-approved set of transportation taxes and fees last year. The 49-page bill [...]

By admin|2021-03-05T02:12:55+00:00March 5, 2021|Transportation Legislation, Zero Fare|Comments Off

The Zero Fare Project

Last week we had a meeting of the RAC, the first formal get together for half a year. The Zero Fare project has been everyone's main policy objective for well over a year, and its success has sustained ridership levels to a remarkable extent. Our focus has been there. While our system is now running fare free until July, riders have other concerns as well. I still ride the buses most days, and the overwhelming complaint of riders that I have talked to this winter is the same as ever: The curb is used as a dumping ground for all the [...]

By admin|2021-03-04T16:05:24+00:00February 25, 2021|Zero Fare|Comments Off

Zero Fare Buses and the Green Worcester Plan

1/25/2021 Dear Members of the Worcester City Council, On behalf of Mass Audubon, we would like to resubmit our letter addressed to the City of Worcester and the authors of the Green Worcester Plan containing our support and suggestions for future drafts of the Green Worcester Plan. We are very pleased to see this plan moving forward and wish to note that a fare free approach for the regional bus system is one of the recommended policies in the Green Worcester Plan. Consequently, we would also like to announce our support for a Fare-Free WRTA. The Worcester Chamber of Commerce [...]

By admin|2021-01-29T02:14:56+00:00January 30, 2021|Green Worcester, Zero Fare|Comments Off