Amid conversations around budget and services cuts for the MBTA, advocates, transit administrators and policymakers are asking the question: Can free buses save public transportation in Massachusetts? Hear from panelists Vineet Gupta, Director of Transportation for the City of Boston, Laurel Paget-Seekins, a public transportation expert formerly of the MBTA, and Martha Velez, the City of Lawrence’s Director of Health and Human Services and point person on its free bus program. The fare free movement is gaining momentum on Beacon Hill and in Gateway Cities like Lawrence and Worcester. Many are touting free fares as a way to make public transit more accessible to low income riders, and increase the use of public transit, which took a big hit during the pandemic. Is it time to change the way we provide public transportation? What is the impact on riders, cities, and transit agencies? Can we afford to do it?
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