U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, who supported federal COVID-19 relief aid, will be riding a Merrimack Valley regional Transit Authority bus tomorrow that used the money to make rides free to passengers.
Markey is scheduled to hop on Route 01 at 3:25 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, at Target, 67 Pleasant Valley St., Methuen. The bus arrives at Buckley Transportation Center in Lawrence around 3:45.
“He will be engaging with riders and talking to the press about what the free fares means for Lawrence and the entire Merrimack Valley,” officials said.
The Transit Authority is replacing fares lost during the two-year pilot with federal money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and American Rescue Plan Act. Bus service officials noted the loss of fares is not as significant as one might think because of the “high cost and inefficiency of collecting fares.”