Study: Rider, Revenue Ripples Seen From Low-Income MBTA Fare

"An income-based MBTA fare option could attract tens of thousands of new rapid transit and bus riders and could prompt hundreds of thousands more trips on the RIDE paratransit service, according to an ongoing T study.

If the MBTA set the qualifying income at 200% of the federal poverty level, between 50,000 and 90,000 new commuters would ride the subway or bus every year, MBTA Deputy Director of Policy and Strategic Planning Lynsey Heffernan told the T's board Monday.

That jump in new riders who would pay less than the regular fare price would lead to between $23.3 million and $42.3 million in foregone fare revenue each year, Heffernan said. Both ridership and cost projections vary based on the income threshold for a potential low-income pass."