Worcester’s record-setting free bus program takes another victory lap
The longest-running fare-free program in Massachusetts will continue into next year.
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) advisory board voted to extend the agency's fare-free program until June 2026, according to an announcement posted on the authority's X page on Thursday.
The fare-free program is part of the agency's FY2026 budget, with the board voting unanimously to extend the program.
The WRTA first implemented the fare-free bus program in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the advisory board voted to renew the program, allocating funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020.
The WRTA has renewed the program for the last five years, making Thursday's vote the sixth time they've done so.
The Zero Fare Coalition, an advocacy group that supports fare-free transportation in Worcester County, celebrated the extension in an X post on Friday.
"Thank you to the WRTA for voting to extend free bus service through June 2026!" The post reads. "Special thanks to advocates and riders for your continued advocacy; without you, the WRTA would not be the longest-running, fare-free regional transit system in the country!"
The program will continue until June 2026 unless the WRTA votes to extend the program again.
