Worcester citizens express their concern about the WRTA system and its inefficiencies.

By Agustin Rac | August 1, 2019

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority suffers from low and declining ridership, just like
many other cities. According to the research Bureau, “Total fixed route revenue in 2018 was
around $3 million, the lowest since 2010.”
There are multiple reasons that the citizens of Worcester began using less public transportation.
After WRTA users participated in interviews, most of them expressed complaints about
scheduling and the cost of using public transportation.
“I use the buses to travel everywhere, but they fail me most of the time, especially in the
weekend,” Said Grace Abraham, a WRTA user. “The reason for this, is that they take too long to
arrive at each stop; the average time that I usually wait for them, is about 20-30 minutes at the
stop. But when they take too long to arrive, I usually use Uber as my other alternative, which is
easier and faster for me.”
“On the weekend they should run the same schedule as the week, because on the weekend is a
family time. I usually need the bus to go to church or travel with my family, but because they do
not have enough buses on the weekend, it makes it difficult for me to travel with my family or
friends” said R.V Dweh Wiah, WRTA user.
The research Bureau report stated that, “The WRTA is not an added route or a 25-cent fare tweak
away from success. The problem of a steep and ongoing ridership drop is being compounded by
the inherent inefficiencies of charging and collecting fares, and addressing these problems
requires bold and impactful action.”
Moreover, the report also stated that, “ The equity implications of allowing all residents to ride
the bus without paying a fare may overshadow the implications for government efficiency, but
both are important factors in whether to implement a fare-free model.”
However, many people believe that the greatest challenge is not the cost of riding the bus, but
their ineffective schedule. Therefore, going fare free may not necessarily help increase ridership
if the inefficiencies in the riding schedule are not also addressed.
But the Bureau report recommended that, “Research and evidence from other cities have shown
going fare-free to be perhaps the most effective ridership-boosting plan available to bus systems,
a priority for a system like the WRTA that is suffering from significant drops in ridership.”
“If free fares were to facilitate scheduling buses, then it would be great,” said Michael Madden a
Waiting for the bus Facebook page member. “This current hideous system means not getting to
connections and onto work and back home.”
Additionally, some people believe that implementing a fair free system, would help to keep
families united and travel together without worrying about the cost.
“A program like the “W PASS” really helps to keep families together. So having a fare free
system would be great, because it would allow me to take my kids with me, without worrying
about spending a lot money on transportation,” said WRTA user, whose name is anonymous.

Looking for a Board Member:

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority | WRTA is looking for an individual, who is a
resident of a surrounding town (Not a Worcester resident), to join their Advisory Board
and represent the interests of commuters with disabilities.
The requirements are that the person is mobility impaired, have a family member who is
mobility impaired, be a caretaker of a person who is mobility impaired or works for an
organization that serves the needs of the physically disabled.
Here is a link to the WRTA Advisory Board: https://www.therta.com/wrta-advisory-
board/
Please contact jbellil@eastersealsma.org if you have any questions or interest.
Do you have something that you would like to see in our next newsletter, please contact Agustin Rac
racixpec@bc.edu

A recent study came out in Worcester that recommended that the

WRTA bus system consider changing to a Fare-Free System for Riders.
This would mean that anyone can ride the bus for free and the WRTA would get the money they normally
collect from riders, which pays for 14% of their expenses, from another source.

A committee is meeting to look at the feasibility and desirability of advocating

for such a change but we need more information:

Please click the link below to fill out a quick survey and share your thoughts.
https://forms.gle/itMUUEKcZqoQs7xb7