FOLLOWING A FIGHT that resulted in eight arrests at Union Station in Springfield earlier this month, Mayor Domenic Sarno called for ending the region’s universal fare-free bus system and replacing it with a voucher system — a move that immediately drew criticism from local officials, and now state transit advocates, ahead of the finalization of the 2027 state budget.
During a press conference, Sarno said the incident was not one off. Groups of teenagers often congregate at the station because of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority’s fare-free busing program and take “joy rides,” he said, citing the most recent disturbance where over 50 youth were caught loitering, trespassing, and fighting. The gathering drew dozens of police officers, some of whom were assaulted.
Sarno later clarified in a letter to the PVTA that he supports fare-free busing but called for a more “structured system” that tracks riders.
“This can be a fare-free voucher system where a fare engagement representative is tasked and trained in youth engagement, de-escalation, and customer service assistance to help enhance boarding and transit while also eliminating or reducing rider altercations both on and off the bus,” he wrote.
Shanique Rodriguez, a Springfield resident and executive director of the Massachusetts Voter Table, said a voucher system would undercut the intent of the fare-free program in a city where nearly 24 percent of residents live below the poverty line compared to 10 percent of residents across the state.
“The point of fare-free rides is that you can just get a ride,” Rodriguez said. “This program means that more people are able to engage in everyday things that they may have been doing limitedly, sparingly, or not at all because they couldn’t afford to do them, and that includes things like health care appointments.”
Sarno’s office did not respond to questions about how a voucher system would be implemented. The city of Springfield holds just over 13 of the 62 total votes on the PVTA advisory board, meaning the mayor cannot unilaterally end or change the program.
“I am nervous when our first instinct when trying to manage teenagers is to end beneficial programs for all people,” Rodriguez said. “I’m glad that he walked it back. We shouldn’t have young people creating chaos in public environments, but there needs to be a more balanced approach to how we handle that.”
Others have questioned whether the incidents at Union Station can be attributed to the availability of free bus rides. State and local leaders like Reps. Bud Williams and Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield cited the success of the fare-free program and instead called for more policing to address the youth disturbances.
Sarno said the Springfield Police Department already has a “dedicated presence” at Union Station, with officers patrolling both inside and outside.
The PVTA’s Try Transit program — funded in 2024 by a $30 million allocation from the state as part of a zero-fare regional transit initiative — has previously been extended but is set to expire at the end of the month. Funding to continue fare-free service for regional transit authorities across Massachusetts has been included in the House, Senate, and governor’s state budget proposals. The budget is expected to be completed by July.
“It’s a wildly popular program, and we don’t see it going away,” said Reggie Ramos, executive director of Transportation for Massachusetts.
From fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2025, the PVTA saw a 21 percent increase in ridership, which returned to pre-pandemic levels.
“Those are the wins that I don’t think should be overlooked by a singular event,” Ramos said.
More than 55 percent of PVTA riders live at or below the federal poverty line, and nearly 70 percent report that they have no other way to make their trips, according to the PVTA.
“Under a voucher system, there would be some criteria for legitimate need, and some wouldn’t qualify for free fares,” Ramos said. “That just adds another barrier that we have, through legislation, already taken down. It would take us so many steps backwards.”
Ramos added that a voucher system like the one Sarno proposed would likely impose an administrative burden on the PVTA.
“When fare-free was passed, it was without conditions. That’s the beauty of it — you make it simple,” she said.
Other regional transit authorities in the state have found that the cost of collecting fares on buses would be more expensive than not having them.
The Senate’s proposed budget calls for $40 million to be allocated for fare-free services across all 15 regional transit authorities, while Gov. Maura Healey’s budget and the House’s budget call for $35 million. The funding would come from the Fair Share Act, a surtax on people earning more than $1 million a year. Additionally, the Senate Ways and Means Committee is working to codify free fares in state law, making it a permanently funded program.
“This has been the flagship equity program that our state has implemented in almost 260 towns and cities,” Ramos said. “We’re not seeing this kind of uproar, or even incidents, in other places served by regional transit authorities, and it’s definitely not a trend.”
