City Offers Free Transit and Bikeshare Rides to 1,000 Downtown Workers, Boston, MA 2021

Over a two month period, the City of Boston Transportation Department will award free transit and bikeshare access to 1,000 individuals who work in five neighborhoods in the downtown area Boston: East Boston, Fields Corner, Mission Hill, Nubian Square, and Three Squares in Jamaica Plain. Eligible individuals can submit applications until April 19th through an online system or by text. Once selected, pilot participants will either receive $60 fare credits through a lump sum or through increments over a two-month period to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Boston’s subway and bus system. During the two-month pilot, all participants will also have unlimited access to 45-minute rides on Bluebikes, Boston’s bikeshare system.

This pilot is intended to promote use of public and shared-transportation modes as many people are expected to end their quarantines and return to work in-person. Officials fear that many people, when resuming in-person work, will opt to use single-occupancy vehicles, overburdening the transportation network of urban areas. As the COVID-19 pandemic potentially subsides over the coming months, cities and transit should explore creative ways to restore trust in public transportation.

Last updated April 2, 2021