• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Contact Us

Agency Checklists

Massachusetts Insurance News & Job Opportunities

You are here: Home / State House News / Half-Priced Fares Coming To All T Service Modes

Half-Priced Fares Coming To All T Service Modes

April 2, 2024 by State House News Service

Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt celebrates with advocates on March 28, 2024 after the MBTA Board of Directors approved a new low-income fare option. Chris Lisinski/SHNS

BOSTON, MARCH 28, 2024…..Tens of thousands of MBTA riders are about to gain access to half-priced fares.

Years after public transit advocates launched a campaign to roll out a widespread low-income fare at the T, the agency’s board of directors stamped its approval on a formal plan that will provide an option to riders who earn less than their peers but do not qualify for one of the more narrowly-tailored existing programs.

“This is an amazing day,” Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who long pushed for a low-income fare expansion when she served on the MBTA board’s predecessor, said. “This is 10 years in the making.”

The program will likely launch this summer, according to MBTA General Manager Phil Eng.

Riders who earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level — which in 2024 is about $30,120 annually for a single person or $62,400 for a family of four — will qualify for MBTA fares at half the usual cost.

Yinchun Liang, a Charlestown resident, home care worker and advocate with the Chinese Progressive Association, said the prices of the T’s monthly passes can be especially daunting for riders who rely on the system every day.

“The cost of living is increasing very rapidly. Our wages are staying stagnant, which takes a toll in our daily lives,” Liang said through an interpreter. “For a low-income family like ours, it is really challenging to afford the $90 monthly pass.”

The reduced fares will apply to all travel across the MBTA’s network, including commuter rail, ferries and the RIDE paratransit service.

The original proposal excluded the RIDE’s premium service area, but board members agreed via an amendment that Tibbits-Nutt offered to add that into the mix, too.

“It’s everything,” the secretary said after the meeting. “We’ve got it all now.”

Activists who have spent years fighting for the change showed up in force to Thursday’s meeting, clad in red or blue T-shirts reflecting their organizations, and they broke into vocal cheers right as the vote closed.

MBTA officials have estimated the program could cost roughly $25 million in fiscal 2025, then rise to between $52 million and $62 million per year once fully implemented by fiscal 2029. Once demand ramps all the way up, the T projects about 62,000 train, bus and ferry riders will take advantage, plus 28,000 people who use the RIDE paratransit service.

They said Thursday that expanding the option to the RIDE premium service would add another $4 million annually to the cost and impact about 45,000 trips.

Supporters pointed to Gov. Maura Healey’s election as a key turning point for the idea of a widespread low-income fare at the T.

Healey and lawmakers agreed to put $5 million into the current year’s state budget to fund the groundwork for standing up the program, and the governor proposed another $45 million to cover its costs in her fiscal year 2025 spending bill. 

It’s not yet clear if the House and Senate, which will debate their own budget rewrites in the next two months, will agree to steer money toward the T for the new fare option.

“For the low-income fares to work well, the House and Senate must ensure that funding is included in the final state budget,” Transportation for Massachusetts Executive Director Reggie Ramos said. “We look to Beacon Hill to ensure ongoing, consistent and permanent revenue support for the low-income fare program through the coming years.”

Asked how the T would find funding if the Legislature does not greenlight the additional investment, Eng replied that the agency is “moving forward” using the $5 million already appropriated and “optimistic” lawmakers will be on board.

“Should they not, the T will find a way to continue to balance all of our needs. We know how important this is,” he said. “But I’m really optimistic that the $5 million there was intended to be followed up with other funding sources.”

Filed Under: State House News Tagged With: Agency Checklists, Mass. Insurance News, Massachusetts economic news, massachusetts insurance news, Massachusetts legislative news, New England Insurance News

Primary Sidebar

New Episode

MA Insurance Lawyers

MA DOI Advertisements

Career News

Insurance News Massachusetts and US Market Share

Travelers Announces 2025 Personal Insurance Agent of the Year Award Honorees

WTW Appoints Lofstrom as Deputy Regional Leader New England

WTW Appoints Lofstrom as Deputy Regional Leader New England

PIA Connecticut & CTYIP Elects Officers for 2025-26; McKiernan Named President

Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Appointed

View More Career News

In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Joseph Lombard, 98, Founder of Corinthian Insurance In Medway

In Memoriam: Michael Ray Christiansen, 1953-2025

In Memoriam: William Brooks, 1930-2025

Company News

New York Liberty and Liberty Mutual Insurance Announce Multiyear Partnership

Progressive Planning To Hire 12,000+ in 2025

MassDOT and Fundación MAPFRE Announce Finalists in Road Safety PSA Contest

Call for Applicants! 2025 Central MA CPCU Society Scholarships

New England Newswire

New Hampshire Insurance Department Announces New Licensing Exam Vendor

May 9, 2025 By AC Editor

Prometric Will No Longer Offer Licensing Exams For NH

New Hampshire Insurance Department Updates Guidance for Licensee Disclosure Requirements

May 1, 2025 By AC Editor

Guidance For Insurance Producers and Adjusters in Meeting State-Mandated Requirements

New Hampshire Insurance Department Issues Guidance on Virtual Claims Adjustment Systems for Automobile Repairs

April 25, 2025 By AC Editor

Guidance Comes in Form of Bulletin #INS 25-031-AB

New Hampshire Insurance Department Issues Guidance to Help Granite Staters Understand Homeowners Insurance Coverage Levels

April 2, 2025 By AC Editor

Published New Document Outlining Differences Between Actual Cash Value (ACV) and Replacement Cost Value (RCV) When Selecting Homeowners’ Insurance Coverage

Insurance Fraud

Feds Sue Insurers and Brokers for Illegal Kickback Scheme

FBI Boston Warns Quit Claim Deed Fraud on the Rise

Newburyport Man Pleads Guilty in $2.2 Million Home Repair Insurance Fraud Scheme

Caught: Contractor’s Tax And Premium Fraud Lead to Prison

More Insurance Fraud News

Footer

Agency Checklists

Contact us

We offer a variety of ways to get help promote your company or product.

Announcements
Email Sponsorships
Partnerships
Custom Collaborations

*Affiliate Disclosure

Please note that any of Agency Checklists’ articles might contain one or more affiliate links. This means that any subsequent purchase resulting from these links may result in a commission for us, but at no additional cost to you. For example, as an Amazon Associate, Agency Checklists earns a commission from all qualifying purchases. By working with affiliates we can continue to keep Agency Checklists subscription free. Thank you for your support.

Explore Our Archives

Copyright © 2025 · Agency Checklists · All rights reserved.

 

Loading Comments...