Taking a Merrimack Valley Transit—or MeVa—bus will remain free for riders after the public authority’s board Thursday compared the small amount of net income from past bus fares with a $2 million boost in regional economic benefit today along with doubling of hospital access and other advantages since fees were eliminated in 2022.
MeVa Administrator MeVa Administrator Noah S. Berger told advisory board members a vote for permanent free service now gives riders confidence in having continued access to rides. With an increase in passengers—and a study showing nearly 40% of them making less than $25,000, Berger said riders have expressed concern about having to pay.
“Are we going to have to go back to collecting fares—are you going to go back to collecting fares? There was palpable anxiety,” he said during the online meeting.
Berger pointed out the study backed points he made when he first recommended fare-free service. That is, fares in 2019 made up only 9% of running buses and cost more than a quarter of every dollar to collect the money. Beyond that, the authority incurred costs for additional insurance, armored car services, farebox maintenance, equipment fees and labor, such as running the money room and performing maintenance. According to a Stanetc’s Liza Cohen, more than 100 staff hours weekly have been saved, allowing MeVa to bring other services in house.
The study also found Lawrence General Hospital and health clinics in downtown Haverhill were mentioned as the most popular stops, 43% of riders use the bus for healthcare-related travel, “the sense of freedom and independence is a significant emotional benefit for paratransit riders and seniors who take pride in taking care of themselves,” riders put their savings back into the local economy and 29% used the bus get to their jobs.
Should MeVa had chosen to put fare boxes back, Berger said, the authority would have incurred substantial capital and training costs and a length procurement time. Merrimac advisory board member Mitch Kostoulakos asked why the bus service couldn’t simply reuse the old boxes. Berger responded, the 2012-era collection devices were already “well past their useful life” when removed and their systems—once supported by the MBTA—are now obsolete.
Berger noted the novelty of MeVa’s fare-free vote more than three years ago, but 13 out of 15 of the state’s regional transit agencies have since followed suit. “At the time we were kind of out there. We were blazing a new trail.”
The administrator said initial fears that, for example, buses would turn into “rolling homeless shelters” did not materialize. Instead, empty seats became full seats and efficiency improved. Lost fare money was covered the first year by federal pandemic aid and, for the last two years, by the state.
Asked by West Newbury member James R. Blatchford about a “doomsday scenario” where federal operating money is cut, Berger noted recent events emphasizing Congress, under the U.S. Constitution, has the power of the purse and most money is secured by contract.
Blatchford also stressed the need for improved marketing. “We need to advertise this more. I think this one of those things that we were reluctant to say ‘Oh, we’re going to tell every single person’ and we did, but we’ve added two new communities to our bus routes since we went fare free, including mine, and I think teaching people how to ride a bus is—I mean, I learned when I was in high school when I was at Lawrence High—we need to get them while they’re young,” he said.
Methuen’s Kathleen Colwell noted a new state law makes bus usage all that much more important. “Any new accessory dwelling unit within half mile of a bus cannot by law require additional parking on-site.”
Board members, with one absent and one abstaining, supported continuing the fare-free policy after hearing results of a study prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission and Burlington-based Stantec. Leading the vote was Andrew Shapiro of North Andover, who called the matter an “easy decision,” and Lawrence’s Myra Ortiz.