Reasons why the WRTA began to lose riders.

By Agustin Rac | August 30, 2019

The Worcester Transit Authority (WRTA) is a system that has been serving the Worcester
community for a long time. However, as technology began to emerge, it disrupted the system just
like many others. For example, in March 2007 the Uber app was launched and it quickly began
to expand in major US cities. This new app began to disrupt the majority of public transportation
systems, and the reason for this is because they became more efficient and got people to their
destination quicker.
Since then, public transportation systems began to lose riders because the utilization of Uber
became greater. Every year, the WRTA has been losing a large percentage of riders, and this is
the result of the new disruptive technology (Uber). Therefore, the demand for a new system
becomes greater every year. The WRTA has implemented hikes as a method to cover their
expenses, which has not performed very well in terms of increasing ridership. According to the
Research Bureau, “The impact changing fare prices have on ridership is called fare elasticity. An
often-cited guideline is the Simpson-Curtin Rule, which estimates a 3 percent drop in ridership
for every 10 percent increase in fare prices.”
Therefore, as the WRTA increases its fare, their ridership numbers will decline. At this point,
they are searching for new ways to solve their problem. The new method that they are looking to
implement is the free fare system. This new system would allow anyone from the city of
Worcester Massachusetts to get access to public transportation for free. At this point increasing
ridership is more important for efficiency and the environment in Worcester. In August 1, 2019 a
meeting was launched in Brook valley Worcester, where riders and many advocates share their
thoughts about the future system of WRTA;
Most of the attendees at the meeting liked the idea of having a free fare system that could help
them spend less money on transportation. However, many of them brought up the inefficiency of
the WRTA current system and that it needs to be redesigned before the free fare system would be
implemented. This is due to the fact that this current system is not getting people to their
destination on time.
“If a free fare system were to facilitate scheduling buses, then yes! This current hideous system
means not getting to connections and onto work and home. Employers ask, how workers will get
to work? Parking is at a premium; the WRTA is an embarrassment, you cannot get from
anywhere to somewhere…Reliability. Michael Madden member of the “waiting for the bus
Facebook page” said.
This problem relates to my experience as well, over the summer of 2019, I was able to get the
WRTA youth summer pass. This a free summer pass for all the youth’s ages 9 to 24 years old,
with no cost at all. However, one of the problems that I’ve encountered, was the inefficiency of
their schedule. This is due to the fact that most of the buses take a long time to arrive at each
stop, and this makes it hard for riders to get to their destination on time. It usually takes me one
hour to get to my job every day over the summer using the WRTA but, when I take an Uber, it
takes me around ten minutes. Thus, from my experiences and other riders, the delays of buses are
the result of the payment options. They operate under a cash system, which takes a lot of time for
riders to pay and the bus cannot move until person has completely paid its trip at the front. So I
believe, this is what is delaying them from getting to each stop on time.
However, implementing a free fare system would benefit many people, and it can improve
Worcester’s environment. One of the things that Worcester is struggling with is the traffic,
because public transportation is inefficient, many people begin to buy cars which creates a lot of
traffic. Therefore, having a free fare system could dense cars from the road, and create an
environment with less pollution.
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