“…City and state officials indicated that money used for the MBTA’s reduced fare program would cover the plan to temporarily extend the program for bus routes 23, 28, and 29, which go through Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury. Wu’s office said in a statement that the reduced fare program “resulted in cost savings that are being applied to deliver this extension through the end of the year.”
City officials also said that they plan on “working this summer and fall on options for the fare free program in 2027.”
“There’s no such thing as free,” said Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. “It just means someone else is paying for it, and every trip on the MBTA is already significantly subsidized.’..”
By Niki Griswold and Chris Van Buskirk | 6/9/2026