The MBTA is set to launch a new reduced fare program this week, dramatically widening the pool of people who qualify and potentially cutting transit costs in half for about 60,000 riders.
In the past, the T offered reduced fares only to seniors, people with disabilities or those under age 25 with low incomes. The new program expands access to all adults provided their incomes fall below a certain level.
“We know that public transit is absolutely critical for lower income households,” said Lynsey Heffernan, the transit authority’s chief of policy and strategic planning. She said rider surveys show that “many of them don’t have access to a car, that we are their primary mode and we know affordability is an issue.”
Heffernan said the new fare program, which the T calls the “income-eligible reduced fare program,” will allow for half-price fares on the commuter rail, bus, subway, ferry and The Ride, the T’s door-to-door transit service for people with disabilities.
Adults with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level can qualify — that’s $30,120 a year for a single person or $62,400 for a family of four.
Oscar Torres, 46, is a frequent T user who’s among those already benefiting from lower fares because of a disability. He catches the bus on Huntington Avenue near several of Boston’s big medical centers and relies on the T to get to church, doctor’s appointments, social services and food pantries. He also takes the bus to his father’s house, where Torres is a caregiver.
“Honestly, I don’t make much money. I’m very sick, I have a lot of health issues,” Torres said. “I’m grateful that I have a low-income bus pass. That helps me to survive.”
Transit advocates have for years called on the T 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 a lot of low-income folks.”
Starting Wednesday, Sept. 4, riders who meet the new requirements can apply for the reduced price passes. T officials said they hope thousands will do so. To qualify, applicants must already be signed up for another income-based benefit, like MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Applications can be completed online or in-person at 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 provide similar services at 36 offices throughout eastern Massachusetts.
To check eligibility, the T will rely on data from the Registry of Motor Vehicles and other state agencies that offer benefits.
“If we find their [applicants’] information, both in the RMV’s database and the office of Health and Human Services database, they’re instantly approved for the program,” said Marissa Rivera, the T’s deputy director of reduced fare programs. “In testing that flow with riders, we’ve seen that it takes about a minute to get approved.” Rivera estimated that about 80% of applicants will be served that way.
Applicants who do not have an RMV-issued form of identification can upload a photo of their identification and submit eligibility documents using the online application. “Those applications are reviewed within two business days,” Rivera said.
Sharon Scott-Chandler, ABCD’s chief executive, encouraged people who think they may be eligible for the MBTA program to visit an ABCD location, even if they are not signed up for any other income-based benefits.
“If folks are not on one of the designated state benefit programs, we can actually get them onto SNAP; we can actually help them access MassHealth,” Scott-Chandler said. “And so thereby making them eligible for the T pass as well.”
Some riders, like East Boston resident Lissi Guerrero, plan to apply immediately.
Speaking in Spanish, she told WBUR she was excited to learn the T was creating a reduced fare program she would qualify for. A mother of four, Guerrero said her family travels downtown for doctor’s appointments and other errands, and she often has just enough money to cover their trip.
“Making transportation more affordable will help me a lot,” she said. “Not having to worry about finding a ride or hailing an expensive taxi to get around will be great.”
