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…