Massachusetts’ 15 regional transit authorities are now carrying more riders than they did before the pandemic, about 14 percent more statewide, and total RTA trips have more than doubled since the 2020–21 pandemic low. State and local officials largely credit a rapid rollout of fare-free service, paired with new routes and longer service hours, as the main engine behind the comeback.
A March 2026 report to the Legislature from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation credits much of the growth to year-round fare-free operations and service expansion. The report found that 13 of the 15 RTAs were running continuous fare-free fixed-route service by the end of fiscal 2025, and that agencies with longer no-fare runs tended to see the fastest recoveries, according to a report by MassDOT.
Some of the biggest gains came from systems that went all in on fare-free early. Worcester, Franklin and MeVa (Merrimack Valley) posted some of the strongest and most sustained increases, with MeVa reporting ridership about 60 percent above pre-pandemic levels after eliminating fares in 2022. Independent evaluations and local reporting documented operational benefits alongside the ridership spike, including faster boarding, fewer fare disputes and more trips to jobs and health care, as reported by Streetsblog Massachusetts.
The budget backdrop has been central to the experiment. The fiscal 2025 state budget created a 30 million dollar grant program to support fare-free pilots, and the 2026 enacted budget raised that support to at least 35 million dollars while adding statutory language that prevents RTAs from charging fares for local fixed-route and ADA complementary paratransit service. The budget text also directs MassDOT to reimburse authorities for lost fare revenue and to report on routes, ridership and reimbursements as part of an oversight package, per the fiscal 2026 budget summary.
How The Policy Played Out Locally
Not every authority jumped on the state grants at the same time. The Cape Cod RTA initially sat out the fiscal 2025 program but later launched fare-free fixed-route service in mid 2025, and GATRA (Greater Attleboro-Taunton) shifted its fixed-route and ADA service to no-fare on October 1, 2025. Local coverage and agency notices indicate that both systems saw ridership gains and positive rider feedback after dropping fares, according to the Cape Cod reporting and GATRA’s own announcement.
Benefits And Trade-offs
Advocates and evaluators say fare-free service cuts cost barriers and pulls in riders who previously would not have used transit, while operators point out that eliminating fares reduces farebox recovery and increases the need for predictable state support. MeVa’s independent evaluation found quantified social and operational benefits, from avoided vehicle trips to time saved during boarding, that can outweigh lost fare revenue, and budget analysts emphasize that sustaining those ridership gains will require continued operating dollars and service improvements, per analysis by MassBudget.
What The Law Requires
The fiscal 2026 budget text is explicit: “an authority … shall not, subject to appropriation, charge passenger fare for a trip on regularly scheduled fixed route service, or for a trip on complementary paratransit service,” and it assigns MassDOT to administer reimbursements and oversight. That statutory language makes steady appropriations the key policy lever; without predictable funding, agencies that have eliminated fares could face pressure to cut service or bring back fares, officials say, per the fiscal 2026 budget summary.
Riders are already feeling the change in their wallets and schedules, with lower out-of-pocket costs and more frequent options to reach work, school and doctors’ appointments. With extra fiscal 2026 funding and new reporting requirements in place, state and local leaders say they will be watching to see whether no-fare RTAs can hold onto the ridership gains and turn them into longer-term access and equity outcomes.
