Activists In Worcester Want To Keep Buses Free Using Stimulus

WORCESTER, MA — Activists who want Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) buses to remain free rallied in downtown Worcester Monday, calling for the transit agency to use federal stimulus money to keep a pandemic-era fare collection policy in place.

Last March, WRTA stopped collecting fares as a safety measure to keep riders and bus drivers separate. But the transit agency earlier this winter voted to end the fare-free policy by July 1.

At the same time, WRTA received more than $37 million from the first federal stimulus bill, known as the CARES Act, and another $6 million from the second American Rescue Plan stimulus signed by President Joe Biden in March.

The transit agency earns between $3 and $4 million per year from fares, Director Dennis Lipka has said. Lipka wants to reserve the stimulus funds to smooth out losses related to the pandemic in coming fiscal years.

RELATED: Worcester-Area Buses Will Remain Free Until July

The Zero Fare WRTA Coalition estimates WRTA will have about $33 million in federal stimulus dollars left after making up for fare losses in 2020 and 2021. Using the money to keep buses free will help local residents, and help the economy recover from the pandemic, the group says.

"If the WRTA Advisory Board does not vote to use the $33 million in unspent federal relief funds to suspend fares in Fiscal Year 2022, essential workers and low-income residents will pay the price, using their hard-earned money to pay for transportation, leaving them with less money for basic needs. This hurts our local economy, too," the coalition said in a news release ahead of a rally Monday near WRTA's bus hub.

The WRTA board is set to meet on Thursday, and Lipka and the board will discuss the fare policy.