Boston Expands Fare-Free Bus Service to Routes 23, 28, and 29

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston expands fare-free bus service to three MBTA routes, powered by federal pandemic recovery funds. Mayor Michelle Wu announced at a Saturday event at Roxbury Community College that Routes 23, 28, and 29 will operate fare-free for a two-year period, building on a pilot of Route 28 launched by former Mayor Kim Janey. U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley cited pilot data showing a 38 percent ridership increase, 4,000 additional trips per weekday, and 15 percent of riders identifying as new to the line. Wu pegged the cost of making the full MBTA system fare-free at approximately $30 million and the statewide cost including regional transit authorities at roughly $60 million. Wu secured the two-year window after negotiations that reached, she said, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration. The three routes were chosen in part because all intersect with planned roadway improvements, including a $15 million federal RAISE grant for Blue Hill Avenue.