Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1526507
62 T he arrival of the COVID-19 pan- demic brought about numerous changes and served as a catalyst in temporarily eliminating bus fares in the Worcester region. Public transit agencies across the country had suspended fare collection as a public health measure to enable social distancing and minimize virus transmission. It ended up being a sil- ver lining of the pandemic for a movement that had been brewing in the region. Before the pandemic in early 2018, a group of riders and advocates formed the Zero Fare Coalition, launching a campaign to suspend fares on Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) buses. e rationale was that riders who rely on bus service to get to work, medical appointments, the grocery store, and other essential services are oen the least likely to be able to afford to pay for transporta- tion. e Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, under the leadership of Dr. Jan Yost, e Health Foundation's founding president and CEO, was en- gaged in some of these early discussions. In 2019, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau released a report that backed up these assertions. Public transit riders had a younger median age and higher pover- ty rate with over-representation of Black and Hispanic riders. Additionally, 65% of riders earned less than $25,000 annually and 70% did not own a vehicle. Despite these findings, the WRTA did not adopt the recommendation to suspend fares. e impetus to cancel fares finally arrived when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Ridership on public transit plummeted following stay-at-home orders. Certain workplaces were closed, while others shi- ed to remote work. In contrast, essential workers still needed transportation to get to their jobs that were considered vital to maintaining critical infrastructure opera- tions across sectors including agriculture, health care, energy, and more. In March 2020, the WRTA Advisory Board voted to suspend bus fares on a temporary basis as a public health measure to protect riders and drivers alike. Public transit agencies across the country took similar actions. e Health Foundation provided the Coalition with $8,000 in April 2020 as part of its rapid response to deploy unrestricted funding to existing Fare-Free Initiative: Nation-Leading Transportation Equity Timeframe: 2020 Fiscal Sponsors: Easterseals; Worcester Community Action Council Total Amount Funded: $13,000 "One of 15 regional transit authorities in Massachusetts, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) is the regional transit system that services the City of Worcester and 36 surrounding communities in Central Massachusetts with a fleet of 54 buses that includes diesel-electric hybrid and clean diesel buses. The second largest regional transit authority in Massachusetts, the WRTA also offers paratransit services to seniors aged 60 and older and to individuals with disabilities. The WRTA is committed to innovation, sustainability, and community engagement, and serves as a lifeline for thousands of riders, supporting the region's growth and prosperity." - WRTA website Fare-Free rally, 2021