Political change rarely comes quickly, as much as we would all like it to. There will always be singular dramatic events that inspire hope, but generally, real change comes slowly and is rarely linear. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to even notice when big changes are occurring. But it's important for Tufts students, as residents of Greater Boston, to realize the potential of what is happening here. It’s a movement percolating out from the city, with its new political order, onto its neighbors. And it has the potential to revolutionize transportation across the country.
You’ve probably heard of Boston’s new mayor Michelle Wu and her pet project of eliminating transit fares on three Boston bus routes. You may have also heard that the Route 28 bus has been free since August and will be until Feb. 28 under a policy enacted by acting Mayor Kim Janey. Wu expanded the Janey-era pilot program by making buses on Routes 23 and 29 fare-free on her first full day in office. The results of the additional fare-free routes remain to be seen, but the Route 28 bus pilot has been a resounding success, with the bus route seeing its ridership return to nearly 100 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Fare-free transit in Boston and cities across Massachusetts comes as local governments are flushed with more cash than they know what to do with, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act. It is rare that local governments have enough resources to do everything that they want to do, and it will not last forever. Ideally, governments will realize the importance of keeping municipalities equipped with the resources to try out new policies, especially when it comes to transit. On that front, there is reason for optimism, with Massachusetts set to replace Governor Charlie Baker, who recently announced he would not seek reelection for a third term, and President Biden's well-known enthusiasm for transit.
Of course, most Tufts students and community members don’t live in Boston, but Medford and Somerville are still part of this movement. Many of our own local elected officials joined a recent letter urging the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to formally open up bus routes to fare-free pilots. Somerville’s new mayor Katjana Ballantyne does not even have a car. Our local community can be part of this if we want to be.
This moment, in which cities and metro areas have the resources to actually implement long-sought policies, is incredibly rare. Many cities are keenly aware of this and are taking the responsibility of determining how to spend their ARPA funding very seriously and slowly. Boston’s influx of cash at the same time as a political sea change has put the city in a unique position at the cutting edge of urban policy experimentation. If more cities can follow suit and resources can be provided, cities can reimagine themselves not just as more equitable, enjoyable places but as incubators of policy innovation. It is hard to stress enough just how transformative this moment could be for equity, the climate and quality of life across America's cities. The Tufts community, in Massachusetts and beyond, should take notice.
