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From YouTube: Expanding Free-Fare Bus Service Update - 11-18-21
Description
Mayor Michelle Wu is providing an update on expanding free-fare bus service. The Mayor has filed an appropriation order with the City Council to eliminate fares on the 23, 28, and 29 bus routes for a two-year period. This program builds on the 4-month fare-free 28 bus pilot program helmed by former Mayor Janey to improve equitable access to public transit for Boston’s residents.
A
A
I
want
to
thank
those
who
thank
you,
counselor.
I
want
to
thank
all
those
who
have
been
working
on
this
already
and
who
have
planted
the
seeds
that
have
already
begun
to
blossom.
Of
course,
this
builds
on
mayor
janie's
program
to
pilot
the
28
bus
as
our
very,
very
first
free
bus
route
in
boston,
as
well
as
the
efforts
of
so
many
city
workers.
So
I
want
to.
I
didn't
want
to
miss
anyone
here,
because
we
have
many
representatives
here
from
the
boston
transportation
department
beneath
gupta.
A
A
Starting
next
starting
early
next
year,
we
will
extend
the
fair
free
pilot
from
a
four-month
program
that
began
over
this
fall
into
a
two-year
program,
to
truly
see
what's
possible
and
we'll
go
from
just
one
route
to
three
routes.
And
let
me
tell
you
a
little
bit
about
what
these
routes
are
and
and
what
they
represent.
A
The
28
bus,
as
we've
already
seen,
transforming
lives,
runs
from
matapan
square
up
blue
hill
ave
through
nubian
square
and
onto
ruggle
station
one
of
the
areas
closest
to
one
of
the
fastest
growing
job
centers
anywhere
in
the
country
at
longwood
medical
area.
This
passes
through
multiple
education
hubs,
madison
park
in
the
o'bryant
high
school
boston,
latin
roxbury,
community
college,
reggie,
lewis
center
many
houses
of
worship.
I
myself
took
the
28
bus
from
mattapan
square
to
get
to
the
historic
12th
baptist
church
for
a
worship
service
over
the
summer.
A
Each
of
these
routes
travels
through
and
along
blue
hill
ave,
an
important
economic
corridor
that
we've
identified
as
a
priority
for
improvements
to
increase,
transit,
reliability
and
boost
ridership,
and
each
of
these
bus
lines
serves
a
ridership
that
reflects
boston.
More
than
59
percent
of
riders
on
these
three
bus
lines
are
low
income.
More
than
96
percent
of
these
bus
lines.
Commuters
are
people
of
color.
A
So,
by
taking
this
action,
we
truly
will
connect
our
communities
and
supercharge
our
recovery,
putting
these
federal
recovery
funds
to
good
use
by
supporting
and
investing
in
communities
who
have
been
hardest
hit
by
this
pandemic,
and
we
know
that
it
works.
Fair.
Free
bus
has
already
shown
that
this
is
the
best
way
to
attract
riders
back
to
public
transit.
A
The
28
bus
route
now
has
the
highest
ridership
in
the
mbta
system,
back
nearly
at
pre-pandemic
levels,
whereas
the
general
bus
and
subway
ridership
is
only
at
about
a
little
over
half
of
pre-pandemic
weekday
levels.
Bostonians
have
already
voted
with
their
feet
to
show
what
works
so
expanding
this
program
to
include
the
23
and
the
29
and
extending
it
from
4
months
to
24
months
is
an
important
first
step
in
boston's
journey
towards
a
brighter,
more
reliable
transit
future.
A
A
So
this
program
is
an
opportunity
to
gather
momentum
towards
greater
change
and
again
to
reshape
what's
possible
in
boston,
so
I'm
so
excited
to
pass
it
on.
We
will
start
with
our
community
advocates
stuart
spina
from
the
t
riders
union,
followed
by
stacy
thompson
from
livable
streets,
and
then
we're
going
to
I'm
going
to
invite
each
one
of
my
colleagues.
If
they
wouldn't
mind
to
share
a
few
words
as
well,
counselors
state
representatives,
advocates
and
and
partners
in
this
work
and
I'll
kick
it
off
then,
but
we'll
start
with
the
person
who
took
public
tran.
B
Thank
you
for
inviting
me
to
join
you
at
the
rostrum
this
morning
mayor.
I
shall
keep
my
remarks.
In
the
words
my
old
high
school
headmaster,
concise
and
essential
local
bus
fares
are
now
payable
with
1.70
cash,
but
just
who
conveniently
has
17
dimes
in
their
pocket
many
times.
I've
observed
people
tendering
two
dollars
in
notes,
and
what
of
that
extra
30
cents,
I
guess
just
a
little
extra
cream
on
top
for
the
mbta's
coffers.
B
B
Mayor
wu's
proposal
sets
a
gold
standard
for
improving
transit
access,
especially
for
those
without
automobiles
and
bicycles.
We
must
once
and
for
all
dispel
the
notion
that,
principally
through
fair
revenues,
the
mbta
can
somehow
become
a
profitable
venture
if
public
transit
here
we're
able
to
be
such
where's,
the
boston,
elevated
railway
company.
Oh,
that's:
right,
passed
out
of
existence
after
the
realities
of
world
war
ii,
ridership
and
meeting
that
demand
proved
too
much
to
guarantee
dividends
to
private
shareholders.
B
Let
us
hold
the
new
mbta
board
of
directors
accountable
for
each
and
every
one
of
their
actions
and
let's
keep
the
momentum
going.
Let's
unite
and
demand
that
the
mbta
restore
sunday
and
daytime
saturday
service
to
the
route
29
that
was
summarily
discontinued
over
30
years
ago
and,
most
importantly,
let's
never
shy
away
from
the
fight
for
transfer
justice.
Thank
you.
C
Thank
you
so
much
mayor
wu
and
for
the
councillors
and
other
elected
folks
here
today.
This
is
a
particularly
poignant
moment
for
many
of
us,
because
in
2018
I
stood
with
then
counselor
wu
in
a
blizzard
in
nubian
square,
where
we
were
releasing
our
better
buses
getting
boston
on
board
report,
and
that
report
is
so
important
because
at
the
time
what
we
were
saying
somewhat
controversially,
is
that
boston
had
the
power
to
improve,
prove
bus
service
that
we
did
not
need
to
wait
on
the
state.
C
We
didn't
need
to
wait
on
the
t
that
we
could
make
better
bus
service
happen
in
this
city
on
our
own.
We
could
take
charge
of
our
streets.
Many
of
the
councilors
standing
behind
here
also
supported
that
report
and
four
years
later,
we
have
the
region's
first
center
running
bus
lane
and
we
are
expanding
fair
free
service.
This
is
not
pie
in
the
sky.
These
are
reasonable,
achievable,
affordable
steps
to
improve
transit
service
and
make
us
again
a
national
leader
in
transit.
C
C
Riders
of
the
29
will
be
able
to
get
on
a
free
bus
route
without
that
hurdle
of
finding
17
dimes
in
their
pocket
and
get
on
a
center
running
bus
lane
to
quickly
get
to
their
jobs,
where
they
are
still
going
to
be
serving
us
where
people
are
still
going
to
be
picking
up
their
kids
from
school.
So
this
is
the
first
step.
I
look
forward
to
many
many
more
announcements
as
we
expand
and
improve
our
transit
service
and
boston
again
leads
on
this
issue.
Thank
you.
So
much.
A
D
Thank
you
madame
in
case
there's
any
doubters
out
there
all
right,
o'malley
all
right.
So
thank
you
to
tame
for
inviting
me
to
speak
this
morning.
When
I
was
appointed
to
the
council's
chair
of
covert
relief
recovery
committee,
I
knew
we
were
going
to
be
presented
with
a
tremendous
once-in-a-life
opportunity
to
improve
the
lives
of
bostonians
through
the
400
million
plus
in
federal
funds
and
equity
has
been
our
top
priority
on
the
boston
city
council.
D
As
we
look
to
distribute
these
funds,
that
pandemic
has
impacted
everyone
differently,
and
it's
made
an
already
unequal
city
even
further
divided.
We
know
what
those
gaps
were.
We
know
that
they've
been
widened.
Mayor
wu
obviously
knows
firsthand
and
she's
attempting
to
address
the
inequality
in
boston
and
that's
at
the
top
of
her
priority
list,
and
when
she
had
raised
the
idea
of
of
using
some
of
the
opera
funds
to
to
make
the
23
and
the
28
and
the
29
bus
lines
free.
I
was
on
board
right
away.
D
I
knew
the
impacts
that
this
program
would
have
on
families
in
the
heart
of
our
city,
in
dorchester,
mattapan
and
roxbury.
You
often
hear
me
say
that
we're
an
opportunity-rich
city,
we
have
the
best
colleges
and
universities
in
the
world.
We've
got
the
best
hospitals,
a
network
of
community
health
centers
in
the
world,
we've
got
financial
services,
life
sciences
are
knocking
on
our
door
every
day
to
expand
their
space
and,
of
course,
who
can
forget
our
creative
economy?
D
Our
problem
as
a
city
is
connecting
folks
to
those
opportunities,
so
those
resources-
and
this
will
go
a
long
way
in
in
changing
people's
lives.
It
will
allow
them
to
get
to
work
to
allow
them
to
get
to
their
doctor's
appointments
and
allow
them
to
get
to
school,
allow
them
to
shop
and
allow
to
them
to
visit
our
great
cultural
institutions
without
the
burden
of
having
to
scrounge
around
for
for
tea
fairs.
D
So
that
said,
looking
forward
to
working
with
our
mayor
in
and
making
this
a
reality
and
then
working
with
my
council
colleagues
in
the
mayor
to
see
whether
or
not
we
could
we
could
expand
this
this
program,
this
idea,
so
that
we
can
get
more
bostonians
moving
forward.
And
so
I
thank
you
again
and
thank
mayor
wu
and
committed
to
getting
this
before
you
at
our
next
council
meeting,
which
will
be
december
1st
and
that's
my
pledge
to
make
sure
that
we
continue
to
move
this
forward.
E
Thank
you,
your
honor
and
good
morning,
everybody
it's
so
great
to
be
in
dorchester
on
this
incredibly
gorgeous
late
fall
day.
I'm
so
excited
to
be
here
and
and
mayor
wu.
You
are
a
visionary
and
you
are
delivering
two
days
after
being
sworn
in
on
a
major
campaign,
promise
that
will
have
huge
ramifications.
It's
not
only
about
allowing
better
access,
it's
removing
pasture
cars
from
the
road
which
will
then
in
turn,
lower
greenhouse
gas
emissions
from
pasture
vehicles.
It's
about
having
less,
wear
and
tear
on
the
road.
E
It's
about
getting
people
to
work,
it's
about
getting
people
to
medical
appointments,
it's
about
equity,
it's
about
so
many
things,
and
it
truly
is
just
the
beginning,
so
I'm
so
delighted
to
be
with
every
each
and
every
one
of
you
fully
support
this.
This
will
pass
the
council.
We
will
get
this
done.
This
is
just
the
beginning,
and
my
only
note
I
guess
mayor
is
that
we
may
have
to
change
your
twitter
handle
from
wu
train
to
woo
bus
because
of
the
great
success
of
this
day.
A
F
And
thank
you
mayor
wu,
of
course,
for
your
leadership
and
operating
with
a
sense
of
urgency
on
an
issue
that
truly
is
an
equity
issue.
I
mean
the
fact
that
you've
started
with
this
sets
the
tone.
So
thank
you
very
much.
I
also
want
to
thank
my
council
colleagues
as
well
for
their
leadership
and
their
work,
and
this
will
indeed
get
through
the
council.
F
There
are
just
some
questions
I
had,
but
it
will
get
indeed
past
the
council,
I'm
sure
of
it,
because
it's
necessary
and,
like
mayor
wu,
said
earlier,
it
is
an
equity
initiative,
most
of
the
folks
who
are
taking
these
buses
and
who
we
want
to
incentivize
to
get
on
these
buses,
they're,
low-income
workers,
but,
most
importantly,
they're
residents
of
color,
who
really
want
to
see
their
government
deliver
really
quickly
for
them
and
you're
doing
just
that.
So
thank
you,
mayor
wu.
F
G
Thank
you
everyone,
so
I
live
right
down
the
street
here,
I'm
here
to
listen
and
learn.
I'm
excited
to
get
to
work
with
my
fellow
colleagues
and
the
mayor
michelle
wu
ma.
I
remember
when
my
kids
were
in
high
school
and
they
got
the
m7
pass
and
that
really
mattered.
So
I
do
want
to
make
sure
that
students
and
people
going
to
work.
G
My
daughter
just
started
her
first
job
at
the
elliott
school
in
the
north
end
and
she
walks
up
here
ashmont
street,
to
get
on
the
train
every
day
and
it's
an
expense,
and
we
have
to
really
make
sure
that
the
t
is
equitable
and
that
people
are
able
to
use
it
and
we're
getting
people
to
work
and
to
places
they
need
to
be
so
I'm
looking
forward
to
the
work
ahead.
So
thank
you
very
much.
A
H
Thank
you
so
much,
madam
mayor,
and
I
just
want
to
thank
you
for
your
leadership,
your
vision
and
making
this
a
reality.
So
often
the
stories
go
untold
of
why
this
matters.
It
sounds
like
a
good
headline,
but
we
don't
think
about
the
families.
We
don't
think
about
the
employees
who
don't
think
about
the
students
who
literally
it
is
a
struggle
to
pay
for
transit
and
recognizing
the
importance
of
these
roots.
H
A
I
I
want
to
echo
all
of
my
colleagues
sentiments
this
morning.
I
I'm
really
proud
that
on
day,
two
that
you've
put
forth
an
issue
that
I
believe
is
a
racial
justice
issue
growing
up
in
the
fifth
suffolk,
where
I
now
am
the
legislator,
we
dealt
with
a
lot
of
environmental
injustices,
and
so
we
know
that
transit
justice
work
is
not
just
about
transportation,
but
it's
also
about
ej
communities
that
have
long
suffered
in
the
city.
It
is
also
a
racial
justice
issue.
I
went
to
the
john
d
o'brien,
I'm
a
frequent
rider.
I
I
don't
own
a
car,
I
don't
drive,
and
so
it's
really
important
for
me,
particularly
with
the
23
bus,
which
is
one
of
the
well.
I
think
it's
well
attended
or
has
high
ridership
that
we're
ensuring
that
people
that
are
coming
through
roxbury,
dorchester,
coming
to
mattapan,
going
to
longwood
or
wherever
they're
going
for
work
or
for
school
can
get
there
quickly
can
get
there
safely.
I
I
have
watched
many
times
sitting
on
a
bus
where
a
young
person
or
someone
who
doesn't
have
the
means
is
kicked
off
the
bus
because
they
don't
have
the
two
dollars
or
the
dollar
seventy
or
the
dollar
twenty
five,
it's
increased
over
time,
and
it's
not
because
of
that.
This
is
a
headline,
but
what's
really
important
is
that
we
have
people
in
our
community
that
depend
it's
life-saving
work.
So
thank
you,
mayor
wu.
Thank
you
to
city
council.
Thank
you.
I
A
I'm
going
to
close
out
the
formal
speaking
program
with
someone
who,
like
all
so
many
of
the
speakers
here,
has
been
a
fierce
champion
for
equity
and
justice,
but
particularly
has
been
leading
on
housing
justice,
which
is
just
the
other
side
of
the
transit
and
transportation
justice
coin.
So
really
excited
representative
nica
elgardo.
J
I
don't
get
to
hug
her
as
much
now
that
she's
super
busy.
Thank
you
mayor
will,
when
mayor
will
was
counselor
well.
She
was
already
working
really
hard
with
the
state
house
and
we
partnered
together
and
ways
that
she
helped
me
present
to
the
chair
of
ways
and
means
to
get
transportation
revenue,
including
many
services
that
would
help
us
move
towards
free
bus.
J
We
weren't
able
to
get
that
through
the
senate,
though
we
got
it
through
the
house
last
session,
and
so
I
really
look
forward
to
helping
from
the
state
side
and
I
pledge
to
continue
helping
mayor
wu
from
the
state
side
to
get
more
revenue
and
to
get
more
support
from
the
state
side
so
that
we
can
expand
free
bus
across
boston,
more
readily
and
also
across
the
commonwealth.
All
my
other
colleagues
have
said
all
the
cool
stuff.
A
A
So
we
thought,
starting
with
a
two-year
period,
was
the
absolute
baseline
and
foundation,
and
we
will
certainly
be
looking
for
partnerships
at
the
state
house
and
and
other
levels
to
keep
this
going.
But
the
goal
is
to
very
carefully
invest
in
outreach,
ensure
that
we
are
measuring
and
connecting
with
residents
on
the
ground
and
be
able
to
present
the
results
of
that
show.
The
numbers
show
the
proof
that
this
works
to
be
able
to
then
say
we
need
the
investment
and
the
return
on
investments
at
a
much
broader
scale.
A
Yeah
earlier
during
the
mayoral
campaign
I
had
laid
out
a
my
team
had
spent
a
lot
of
time,
putting
together
a
white
paper
trying
to
demonstrate
how
three
different
routes
could
make
a
big
difference.
The
28
bus
was
one
of
them,
the
116,
and
I
think
the
66
was
another
one,
those
two
other
routes.
Besides
the
28
that
we
had
laid
out
run
through
other
cities
and
towns
as
well,
and
so
this
immediate
step
it
was
quicker
to
coordinate
when
when
a
route
was
entirely
within
the
city
of
boston's
boundaries.
A
But
that
is
the
next
place
that
we
desperately
need
to
have
regional
coordination
and
partnership.
Some
of
the
route,
the
116
for
example,
and
other
routes
that
run
through
chelsea
east
boston,
serve
our
frontline
essential
workers,
carry
people
to
work
who
are
saving
lives
and
keeping
our
economy
going
every
single
day,
and
so
that's
one
place
where
we
will
need
to
and
are
going
to
start
convening
those
regional
conversations
as
well.
A
Yes,
we
did.
We
had
a
great
conversation
yesterday
and
we
are
putting
forward
the
funding
through
city,
the
cities
fingers
crossed
the
city
council's
control
of
the
arpa
funds
as
a
way
to
again
show
and
and
create
the
proof
that
this
deserves
and
requires
larger
investment.
We
will
continue
to
have
conversations.
A
We
also
talk
not
just
about
fair
accessibility
but
reliability
as
well,
and
the
need
for
boston
to
move
quickly
on
dedicated
bus
lanes
throughout
the
city,
and
so
he
pledged
continued
support
to
ensure
that
the
city
has
what
we
need
to
move
more
more
quickly.
On
that
front,
there
will
be
much
more
work
ahead
with
the
state,
but
it
was
a
good
foundation,
a
good
starting
point
with
the
governor.
A
So
in
fact
the
28
bus
wasn't,
I
wouldn't
say
it
was
an
overestimate
because
it
ended
up
that
the
city
got
an
extra
month
to
make
up
for
that
afterwards,
the
the
numbers
are
based
on
ridership
figures
and
a
calculation
of
fair
replacement
for
people
coming
on
the
bus.
So,
basically
the
city
is
assuming
the
fares
that
otherwise
would
be
coming
off
the
backs
and
the
budgets
of
our
residents
and
workers.
A
We
have
set
aside
this
amount
of
funding
based
on
the
ridership
numbers
and
the
the
best
estimates
for
how
the
28
bus
pilot
has
worked
and
the
increase
in
ridership.
That
has
come
from
that.
But
again
we
will
be
getting
every
bit
of
the
value
out
of
that.
So
if
it
turns
out
that
we
come
in
under
budget
for
the
two
years,
then
perhaps
as
a
chance
to
extend
that
for
a
longer
period,
just
as
we've
done
with
the
28
bus
as
well.
A
Yeah
well,
and
I
will
invite
if
stacey
wants
or
do
want
to
say
anything
about
that
as
well,
but
we
particularly
chose
the
29
bus,
because
the
city
has
done
so
much
work
in
creating
that
center
dedicated
bus
lane
so
to
match
the
efficiency
and
reliability
of
improvements
and
service,
with
the
accessibility
from
removing
financial
barriers
is
the
key
to
unlocking
better
service
across
the
entire
city.
It
speeds
up
that
service
from
multiple
angles,
and
so
as
we're
thinking
about
larger
redesign.
A
Diligently,
I
I
just
had
a
call
this
morning
with
our
team
led
by
dr
monica
burrell,
dr
basola
ojikutu
and
chief
sheila
dillon,
to
figure
out
the
most
urgent
steps
that
the
city
can
take.
The
bottom
line
is
that
we
need
more
low
threshold,
supportive
housing
across
the
board,
and
we
have
several
sites
and
locations
identified
that
could
open
up
that
capacity
potentially
very
shortly.
A
A
It
is
not
safe
for
people
to
be
intense
on
the
street.
This
is
what
we
see
in
the
area
of
near
melania,
cass
and
mass
ave
is
a
failure
of
systems,
and
so
we're
working
every
day
to
make
sure
that
we
can
create
more
housing
that
is
accessible
and
ensure
that
we're
connecting
people
into
that
housing
along
with
treatment
and
public
health,
or
is
that
still
on
pause?
A
We
are
working
every
day
to
continue
outreach
so
that
people
have
access
to
support
and
treatment
and
services.
When
there
are
beds
available,
we
are
working
diligently
to
get
people
into
those
beds
and
therefore
to
ensure
that
we
can
continue
providing
safety,
health
and
and
housing
stability
for
everyone
there.