Fare-free bus rides could be here to stay now that millions of dollars have been set aside in the state budget that will allow regional transit authorities to waive fees, and politicians and others who support the idea say it has the potential to be tranformative for Pioneer Valley residents.

“Community members will benefit significantly. Free public transportation supports access to employment, school, health care, food, human services, family and friends,” state Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, wrote in an email. “That’s true if you live in a city or a rural area, but may be more acute in rural communities given distances.”

Funding for this initiative is pulled from the $1.3 billion in revenue generated by the “Fair Share” surtax of 4% on annual income over $1 million. The fiscal year 2025 budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey sets aside $100 million in “Fair Share” funding for regional transit and grants, including $30 million for the elimination of fares in transit service throughout the state.

Domb said the benefits of increased access and connectivity that free fares can provide were made especially apparent by a free transit program, initiated in March 2023, for guests at the Craig’s Place homeless shelter. Eliminating the cost burden of bus fares allowed the guests to access job opportunities and vital services that were difficult to come by before. Participants were able to visit grocery stores, pharmacies and even begin to pursue housing. Of those who used the free passes, 71% said the free fares helped them on their way to securing housing, and 16% claimed that it helped them gain employment.

“The way people were able to more easily access housing, more easily access work and really turn their lives around was incredible,” state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, said about the Craig’s Place program. “We’re looking forward to seeing more of that, because the more people are using a service, the easier it is to get funding for it.”

Sabadosa noted how pandemic-era decreases in ridership led to “a decrease in some of the routes” for local transit authorities, and how encouraging ridership could lead to the bolstering of the system overall. She also said that, in the event that Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) secures funding for free fares, the money could strengthen the existing partnership between the Five Colleges and PVTA, which already provides free rides for students.

While PVTA has been offering free rides this summer, the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) has waived its fees since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. For both authorities, the new state funding could offer a continuation of the positive impacts they’ve been seeing in terms of ridership and the elimination of administration hassles.

FRTA administrators said covering bus fares with CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) relief funding has brought ridership numbers back up to pre-pandemic levels.

“It’s much easier for drivers. They don’t have to wait for people to fumble with change or deal with conflict when people are short,” said Tina Cote, administrator for FRTA. “People are really appreciative that they can get on buses and not have to pay a fare, and use that money toward something else.”

Cote stated that the elimination of fares has also made for smoother operations on the administrative side. Often, fare boxes on the buses would break, leading to difficulties collecting the fares in the first place and creating long wait times for people trying to board the buses. FRTA staff is also able to save time by not having to repeatedly count up the collected fare box money.

According to Cote, not much change is expected with the continuation of fare-free rides, but FRTA hopes to continue the success it has seen thus far.

For PVTA, free summer rides will continue to run through the end of this month to celebrate the transit authority’s 50 years of service, using appropriated funding from the state’s Try Transit Program.

“Fixed route ridership has increased,” PVTA spokesperson Brandy Pelletier wrote in an email. “We believe it is attributed to the fare-free program.”

This summer, PVTA saw fixed ridership back up to 95.7% of 2019 levels in June, and 86.8% of 2019 levels in July, according to Pelletier.

PVTA officials say it’s uncertain if and when the new state-funded fare-free rides will be implemented, as transit authorities are awaiting more information about the program.

“The language in the state budget indicates it is a grant program to be managed by MassDOT for which details/specifics are not currently available,” Pelletier wrote. “Any fare-free grant application has to be approved by PVTA’s Advisory Board as the board is responsible for setting fares for the system.”

Although the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART), similarly to PVTA and FRTA, has been providing fare-free bus services since January and will continue to until the end of August, Assistant Administrator Scott Rich said the fare-free program might continue throughout the rest of the year, depending on the amount of state funding that MART receives. The transit authority, headquartered in Fitchburg, provides transportation services in 25 cities and towns across central Massachusetts, including Athol, Phillipston and Royalston.

“We haven’t gotten our exact funding number, we’re still waiting to get it. ... Right away, I think the fare-free program would probably be one of the first things we would do,” Rich said. “A lot of our people are struggling with the economy, and the way inflation has been, it’s just another thing that they don’t have to worry about — to get public transportation to go to work or shopping or live their lives.”

Since MART began its fare-free program at the start of the year, Rich said the authority’s ridership has incrementally increased by roughly 5%. Should the program expand to the end of the year, Rich said he expects ridership will grow to roughly 15%.

“This is part of our effort to really understand what the public wants and might make public transportation work for the people of our communities,” he said.

Eliminating bus fares could be a step in the right direction in terms of bolstering service, but bus routes and schedules are other important factors in increasing transportation accessibility.

“Reducing or eliminating fares is one part of a puzzle that encourages ridership,” said Domb. “We need to ensure that routes and reliable rider-centered schedules that make sense for people to access employment, school, food, health and human services are in place along with any fare reductions or eliminations. I believe these interventions will be successful, especially if they’re amplified with widespread public information and marketing.”

State officials are also directing funding at other potential improvements. The new state budget allots 41% of revenues from the “Fair Share” surtax to transportation efforts, $100 million of which is slated for regional transit and grants. Combined with spending from general funds for these purposes, a total of $204 million will be put toward regional transit and grants statewide this fiscal year.

Of the “Fair Share” funding not being used for fare-free initiatives, $66 million will go toward direct operating support for regional transit authorities, $10 million will be used to incentivize connections between regional transit routes, and $4 million will support expanded mobility options for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com. Staff writer Anthony Cammalleri contributed to this report.