HAVERHILL — Remember us — regional riders on the bus.
MeVa transit’s administrator and communications director urged state legislators on Wednesday to maintain funding for the state’s 15 regional transit authorities that serve 55% of Massachusetts’s population.
The MeVa officials said low-income riders dependent upon public transportation have a lifeline under fare-free travel, and ridership is thriving.
“We are blowing the doors off our prior ridership numbers,” MeVa’s administrator, Noah Berger, told the 52 state senators and representatives on the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, a group integral to approving a 2025 FY Budget.
Ridership has tripled, year over year, and complaints are down 30% since free fares took effect during the pandemic, two years ago, he said. Ridership is 60% higher than it was before the pandemic, he said.
Under the 2024 budget, and Fair Share Amendment dollars apportioned to municipalities for education and transportation — from the 4% surtax on income over $1 million — the 16 towns and cities MeVa serves have benefited.
Fare-free bus rides for users of the MeVA system will continue through December.
The benefits from current funding have also included extended night service, to 10 p.m., and doubled frequency on popular routes, restored Sunday buses and the addition of on-demand rides to the Bedford VA Hospital for veterans and their families.
MeVA’s communications director, Niorka Mendez, said many MeVa drivers live in the communities they serve, and the living they earn for their families, and the service they provide for their neighbors, benefit their city or town and the region as a whole.
Unlike many transit agencies in the nation, which are experiencing driver shortages, MeVa has grown its workforce by more than 40% since 2022.
In an interview Thursday, Berger said the state’s regional transit authorities are critical to its users but sometimes overshadowed by the MBTA’s dire funding needs.
Meanwhile, the MBTA announced on Thursday approval of half-price fares for its low-income riders.
Myra Ortiz, Lawrence’s representative on the MeVa Advisory Board, which approves transit authority services, says fare-free and increased service is essential to the health and welfare of people in Lawrence, with a population of 90,000.
Not just to get them to work, to medical appointments and to food shopping, but to improve their quality of life, visiting downtowns and cultural events in other cities and towns.
In the Governor’s State of the Commonwealth address on Jan. 17, Gov. Maura Healey vowed to double support for MBTA operations, establish a permanent, reduced fare for low-income T riders and continue affordable options at regional transit authorities.
She did not elaborate on the options for RTAs.
Meanwhile, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) is conducting a study on the full benefits of the region’s fare-free bus service, and risks posed if it is discontinued, said Patrick Reed, transportation planner for MVPC.
The Merrimack Valley Fare Free Business Case Analysis was developed by the planning commission and MeVa.
The MVPC and contractor Stantek are scheduled to start the study within days and complete it by year’s end.