Worcester Bus System Had Strongest Rider Recovery After Pandemic: Study

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester Regional Transit Authority ridership experienced an "exceptional" pandemic recovery compared to similar bus system in the state following the records lows of the first months of COVID-19, according to a new study.

The Worcester Regional Research Bureau Wednesday released a new analysis of local public transit use in the years since March 2020, which was also the beginning of a free-fare policy that remains today — but will be up for a vote on Thursday.

WRTA fixed-route ridership peaked in 2015 with nearly 4 million passengers using the system, according to the study. Ridership dwindled in each year after until a major crash in 2020. The system bottomed out at 1.9 million rides that year, but then saw steady growth in 2021 and 2022, reaching 3.6 million rides last year, which is about 150 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

"The WRTA has had an unparalleled recovery in the region. It is not only the unique agency in the analysis that reached and surpassed its pre-pandemic values (which it achieved for the first time in November 2021), but it has continued to grow, closing December 2022 with 149.1% of its 2019 [trips]," the report said.

Peer agencies like the Springfield-area Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and Southeastern Regional Transit Authority serving Fall River and New Bedford have only recovered to between 60 and 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The MBTA — the largest bus system in the state — was also hovering around 60 percent by the end of 2022, according to data in the report.

The recovery only includes fixed-route ridership, not the system's demand services, like paratransit. WRTA services 37 communities in central Massachusetts, but only 16 get some type of fixed-route service.

The report also noted there's plenty of room for improvement. Riders have consistently ranked items like more reliable service, longer weekend hours and more frequent service as top areas they want boosted.

As of today, WRTA and the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority are the only two RTA systems in Massachusetts that are totally fare-free. At the end of March, a subcommittee of the WRTA board recommended keeping the fare-free policy in place through the next fiscal year. The full board may vote to approve that recommendation Thursday.

The Worcester Regional Research Bureau kicked off the fare-free debate in Worcester with a landmark 2019 report suggesting ways WRTA could pay for the idea. Activists began pushing for the policy in early 2020, but the pandemic intervened, and WRTA initially eliminated fares as a safety measure to keep drivers and passengers separate during COVID-19.