Mayor Michelle Wu Marks 50 Millionth Rider on Fare-Free Bus Routes, Proposes Dedicated Corridor Expansions

BOSTON — Mayor Michelle Wu joined transit riders, MBTA officials, and community advocates in Roxbury on Monday to celebrate the 50 millionth cumulative trip taken on Boston's fare-free bus lines—Routes 23, 28, and 29—since the city launched the pilot program in 2021.

Citing comprehensive transit performance data compiled by the Boston Transportation Department (BTD), Mayor Wu revealed that eliminating fares on the three key bus routes has increased weekday ridership by 38 percent above pre-pandemic baselines, reduced dwell times by 22 percent, and saved transit-dependent riders an estimated $12 million in aggregate annual fare expenses.

Investing in Permanent Center-Running Bus Infrastructure Building on the ridership success, Mayor Wu submitted an appropriation request to the Boston City Council allocating $35 million in municipal capital funds to construct permanent, center-running dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes along Blue Hill Avenue and Columbus Avenue.

"Public transit is the circulatory system of our city," Mayor Wu said at the Nubian Square transit center. "When we remove financial barriers and give buses priority over traffic congestion, we speed up daily commutes for working families, reduce tailpipe emissions, and connect our neighborhoods directly to jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities."

Expanding Micro-Mobility and Electrification The infrastructure package also incorporates transit signal priority (TSP) upgrades at 45 signalized intersections along the corridors, allowing buses to communicate electronically with traffic control boxes to extend green-light windows for approaching transit vehicles.

Concurrently, the MBTA confirmed that all three fare-free routes are operating with 100 percent battery-electric zero-emission buses, eliminating over 4,500 metric tons of localized diesel emissions annually in environmental justice communities throughout Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury.

Civic and business associations across Boston commended the data-driven transit expansions, noting that reliable bus corridors are essential to regional economic mobility and downtown retail foot traffic.