Boston extends fare-free MBTA Routes 23, 28 and 29 through June as funding decisions loom
Temporary extension keeps three high-ridership lines free while officials weigh next steps
Boston will continue covering the cost of fare-free service on three MBTA bus routes—23, 28, and 29—through the end of June, extending a pilot program that has operated since March 1, 2022. The decision prevents fares from returning at the end of February, when existing funding was set to expire, but leaves unresolved whether the program will continue beyond June.
The fare-free routes run through Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury and connect riders to major transit hubs including Ruggles Station, Ashmont, Jackson Square, and Nubian Square. Riders can board through all doors without paying a fare, a setup designed to reduce boarding delays and improve the customer experience on busy corridors.
How the program has been funded
The current fare-free initiative began as an expansion of an earlier Route 28-only pilot that ran from late August to late November 2021. In December 2021, the Boston City Council approved an appropriation order using $8 million in federal pandemic relief to eliminate fares on Routes 23, 28, and 29 for two years, with the city reimbursing the MBTA for lost fare revenue. In February 2024, Boston announced it would continue reimbursing the MBTA for an additional two years using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, budgeting roughly $350,000 per month.
City materials describing the pilot set the program’s formal end date at February 28, 2026. The new extension through June effectively bridges a gap between that scheduled end and a longer-term decision about whether Boston should continue paying for the free fares—and, if so, using what funding source.
What the city says has changed for riders
In its evaluation of the pilot, Boston has reported that ridership on the fare-free routes has increased at a faster rate than the MBTA bus system overall, while travel times on the routes have remained largely steady even as more riders used the service. The city has also reported that a portion of riders saved more than $20 per month, with survey responses indicating savings were used for basic household needs and longer-term financial goals.
The city has also pointed to reduced per-passenger boarding delay during the earlier Route 28 pilot, describing a decrease in dwell time as all-door boarding replaced front-door fare payment.
The June extension provides continuity for riders who have relied on the three routes for free trips since 2022, while policy leaders face decisions about how to fund any longer-term continuation.
What remains unresolved
Whether fare-free service will continue after June and, if it does, what funding source would replace expiring federal relief dollars.
How the program will be evaluated alongside competing transit priorities, including service reliability, operating budgets, and system maintenance needs.
Whether the approach could expand beyond the three routes or remain limited to the current corridors.
For now, Routes 23, 28, and 29 will remain free through June, maintaining a policy that has become a defining feature of transit access along some of Boston’s most heavily used bus corridors.