Wu Requests Funding To Make 3 MBTA Bus Routes Free For 2 Years

BOSTON, MA — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has taken the first steps to expand former Mayor Kim Janey's fare free pilot program by requesting money to temporarily eliminate fares on three bus routes.

Wu, who was sworn in as Boston's newest mayor yesterday, filed an appropriation order with the City Council for $8 million in federal funding to make the 23, 28 and 29 routes fare-free for two years, officials announced today.

The 23 Bus line runs from Ashmont to Dorchester Center, Grove Hall and Ruggles. Both the 28 and 29 Bus lines run through Mattapan Square and up Blue Hill Avenue, at which point the 28 line continues to Nubian Square & Ruggles while the 29 line goes to Jackson Square.

Each route serves a diverse ridership, and they all intersect with Blue Hill Avenue, which research and advocacy group Livable Streets Alliance identified as a corridor that should be prioritized for reliability improvements and increased ridership.

Wu aims to begin the program early next year in collaboration with the City Council and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, officials said. It would build on Mayor Kim Janey's pilot program allowing free ridership on the Route 28 bus for four months.

That bus line has since become the city's most popular, officials said — its ridership surged to 92 percent of pre-pandemic levels, despite overall bus and subway ridership being only at 53 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

In a statement, Wu called her appropriations request "a key step towards a brighter transit future."

"Building on the fare-free 28 bus pilot created by Mayor Janey, we will expand access to transit across our neighborhoods, connecting more people to their schools, places of worship, small businesses, and community centers — and easing congestion on our bus riders and drivers alike," Wu said. "With stronger ties between our communities, we'll reshape the boundaries of what's possible in our city."