The MBTA will launch a new fare reduction program this week that will significantly expand the range of eligibility and potentially halve the cost of travel for approximately 60,000 passengers.
In the past, the T offered reduced fares only to seniors, disabled people and people under 25 with low incomes. The new program extends access to all adults, provided their income is below a certain limit.
“We know that public transport is absolutely essential for low-income households,” said Lynsey Heffernan, the transport authority’s head of policy and strategic planning. She said surveys of passengers had shown that “many of them don’t have access to a car, we are their preferred mode of transport and we know that affordability is an issue.”
Heffernan said the new fare program, which the T calls an “income-based reduced fare program,” will provide half-price fares on commuter rail, bus, subway, ferry and “The Ride,” the T’s door-to-door transportation service for people with disabilities.
Eligible adults are those with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level – that is $30,120 per year for an individual or $62,400 for a family of four.
Oscar Torres, 46, is a frequent T-Bahn user and is among those who already benefit from cheaper fares due to a disability.. He takes the bus on Huntington Avenue near several major Boston health centers and relies on the T to get to church, doctor’s appointments, social services and food distribution sites. He also takes the bus to his father’s house, where Torres works as a caregiver.
“Honestly, I don’t make much money. I’m very sick and have a lot of health problems,” Torres said. “I’m grateful that I have a low-income bus pass. It helps me survive.”
Transit advocates have been calling on the T for years to expand its low-income fare program. Jarred Johnson, executive director of the nonprofit TransitMatters, called the program a “hard-fought victory” that will “dramatically expand access to public transit for many low-income earners.”
Starting Wednesday, Sept. 4, riders who meet the new requirements can apply for the discounted fares. T officials said they hope thousands will do so. To qualify, applicants must already be enrolled in another income-based benefit, such as MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Applications can be submitted online or in person at the offices of the nonprofit Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD). The organization plans to assist applicants at its offices in downtown Boston, Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan and Mystic Valley, and hopes to offer similar services at 36 offices throughout Eastern Massachusetts.
To verify eligibility, the T relies on data from the motor vehicle register and other government agencies that offer services.
“If we find their (applicant’s) information in both the RMV database and the Health and Human Services database, they are approved for the program immediately,” said Marissa Rivera, the T’s assistant director for reduced fare programs. “When testing this flow with riders, we found that it takes about a minute to get approved.” Rivera estimates that about 80% of applicants are served this way.
Applicants who do not have an RMV-issued ID can upload a photo of their ID and submit eligibility documents through the online application. “These applications will be reviewed within two business days,” Rivera said.
Sharon Scott-Chandler, executive director of ABCD, encouraged people who believe they may be eligible for the MBTA program to visit an ABCD branch, even if they are not enrolled in other income-based benefits.
“If people aren’t on one of the federal welfare programs, we can actually offer them SNAP; we can actually help them get access to MassHealth,” Scott-Chandler said. “And that makes them eligible for the T-Pass.”
Some riders, like Lissi Guerrero of East Boston, plan to apply immediately.
In Spanish, she told WBUR how excited she was when she learned the T was launching a reduced-fare program for which she would be eligible. Guerrero, a mother of four, said her family drives downtown for doctor’s appointments or other errands, and she often has just enough money to pay for the ride.
“It will help me a lot if transportation becomes more affordable,” she said. “It will be great when I no longer have to worry about finding a ride or calling an expensive taxi to get from A to B.”
