By Joseph Morales

                  Public Transportation is a major part of how people get around in the state of Connecticut. According to the 2021 American Community Survey(2021 done by the U.S Census Bureau, the Bureau estimated that 8.4% of CT households and 19.4% of renter-occupied households did not have access to a car both with extremely slim margins of error. Connecticut’s bigger cities are even less car-dependent as the percentage of households without access to a car is high in certain places such as Hartford(29.5%), New Haven(10.7%) and Stamford(8.2%) also based on U.S Census ACS estimates. Even if they own vehicles, many CT residents may also use buses in order to get to the Metro-North Railroad(MNR) especially if their local station lacks adequate parking or if residents want to save money on parking permits or fees at certain stations. Rising gas prices may also motivate people who normally drive to use public transit for certain trips.

                Along with suspending the state gas tax, CT Governor Ned Lamont(D) decided to make CTTransit buses, which carry about 80% of bus riders in CT, free from April 1st, 2022 through June 30 which he later extended until December 1st. The governor  also made ADA Paratransit services free as well. Greater Bridgeport Transit buses that operate buses in the Bridgeport area are free until November 30th. The program has made a huge difference in the lives of many, especially low-income residents who cannot afford other transportation options. Chastity Murphy, who worked at a Marshalls department store in New London at the time of her statement, told The Day that it’s helpful not to have to pay a bus fare saying “It’s not really in people’s budget right now.” She also told The Day that rising prices for groceries and other expenses are “just a stressful thing, so anything that takes stress off people right now is good for their mental health.” 

                The program has also sent CTTransit bus ridership soaring. According to the CTMirror, when the free fare policy began, bus ridership was back to 70-75% of pre-pandemic levels in the three major cities of Hartford, New Haven and Stamford. In 4 months, bus ridership in those cities reached 103% of  bus ridership totals in August 2019, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. 

                 As you’d might expect, many have advocated for the extension of the program beyond December 1st along with many  groups such as the Center for Latino Progress in Hartford as well as the Hartford City Council and New Haven Board of Alders. Even some CT Transit Officials and Governor Lamont are open to the idea, with some CTTransit officials even telling local transit officials that the money the agency makes from fare collection is barely worth the cost of such fare collections. However, Connecticut Department Of Transportation(CTDOT) deputy commissioner Garrett Eucalitto told the New Haven Register that fares accounted for $43 million in revenue in 2019 and that the elimination of fares would require an alternative revenue source, appropriations to support operations or a reduction in service altogether. Republicans also say that the legislature would have to approve the extension of the program beyond December and that it would take millions out of the State Special Transportation Fund used for road and bridge repairs. State House Republican Minority Leader Vincent Candelora(R-86) has also stated that CT needs to focus on ways to support residents in a more broad manner. He told WTNH-8 News from Hartford “This governor is already looking and talking about December and January giveaways, when we really should be looking at impacts that are affecting people right now with inflation, food costs and transportation costs, and provide relief right now.”  As automobiles are still the primary mode of transportation across the state, it makes sense why many from any political party would support funding for roads and bridges over public transit. However, other cities throughout the country and the world have made permanent free transit a reality. So why can’t Connecticut? 

                To answer this question, the first thing one has to note is how buses are being funded without fares. Running public transportation is expensive for any transit agency and rarely if ever turns a profit. Oftentimes, transit fares do not even cover an agency’s full operating costs and the remaining costs are often covered through government subsidy. In Kansas City, the city is making buses free through 2023 through a city program called ZeroFare KC, though the city will also use federal pandemic funds to run the program though it is searching for a diversified funding partner to fund the program in the future.  A program to make three bus routes free  Boston, MA is also being funded through money from the American Rescue Act. A program in Alexandria, VA required the city to compete for funds from Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation. 

             While these cities all had different revenue streams for their free bus service, it was almost always the political will to either obtain funds from an external source or use funds from an outside source to allocate for this cause. Cities generally have many social and infrastructure needs and for these cities, free bus service happened to be high on that list. How much fare revenue funds certain transit systems can also be a factor in whether or not they can go fare free. In Albuquerque for example, fares only accounted for 7% of operating revenue, and a good chunk of fare revenue went to the systems needed for fare collection, making transit free seem like a more realistic option.

             As for  priorities and political will, Connecticut has a slew of social and infrastructure needs as indicated by the opinions of many CT Republicans as previously discussed. In terms of how much fare revenue supports the system’s operation costs, that can vary based on ridership and the scope and frequency of service being offered at a given point in time. Even as of today, most routes very likely have different farebox recovery ratios, which is a number indicative of how money transit agencies recuperate from fare revenue on different routes. Also, its important to note that while public transportation is typically funded by counties and municipalities throughout America, CTTransit which transports about 80% of bus riders in Connecticut, is entirely state-run. Thus, funding for public transportation initiatives have to compete with funding for roads and highways in the state which may make it harder to justify funding free transit long-term , as most Connecticut residents drive as their primary mode of transportation. 

               There is at least one case of fare free transit working out for the long term in America. In the case of Chapel Hill Transit which has operated free bus service in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-University of North Carolina(UNC) area of North Carolina for about the past 20 years, UNC puts up 38% of Chapel Hill Transit’s $25 million operating budget, followed by the Town of Chapel Hill at 18% and Carrboro at 7%. UNC pre-pays for its students and staff to ride while residents of the two towns pay via property tax and vehicle registration fees, which may not be something Connecticut residents will support as CT’s homeownership rate is 66.6% according to the 2021 American Community Survey done by the U.S Census Bureau. In the case of the university paying, unless major Connecticut universities like Yale and UConn are willing to foot transit costs, then this plan may not be feasible for the State of Connecticut.

           Free transit is a tricky situation. While it can benefit so many, implementing it long-term takes a lot of planning and logistics along with political will. Whether or not this can work in Connecticut long-term remains to be seen.

Works Cited

Bitsie, Alyssa. “Free fares on Albuquerque city buses.” KRQE, 3 January 2022, https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/free-fares-on-all-albuquerque-city-buses-during-year-long-pilot-program/. Accessed 23 October 2022.

U.S. Census. “Selected Housing Characteristics, 2021″, Social Explorer.” census.gov, 15 September 2022, https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=homw%20ownership%20in%20Connecticut&tid=ACSDP1Y2021.DP04. Accessed 24 October 2022.

U.S Census. “Physical Housing Characteristics of Occupied Housing Units, 2021.” census.gov, 15 September 2022, https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=car%20ownership%20stamford%20connecticut. Accessed 24 October 2022.

“Free public transportation is a reality in 100 cities—here’s why.” CNBC, 2 March 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/02/free-public-transportation-is-a-reality-in-100-citiesheres-why.html. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Dyer, Jessica. “ABQ City Council OKs zero-fare bus program.” Albuquerque Journal, 20 September 2021, https://www.abqjournal.com/2431179/abq-city-council-oks-zerofare-bus-program.html. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Deleon, Erin. “The Success Story of Alexandria’s Free Buses.” Planetizen, 7 June 2022, https://www.planetizen.com/news/2022/06/117400-success-story-alexandrias-free-buses. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Paolicelli, Laurie. “How Free Transit Works in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.” The Local Reporter, 6 April 2021, https://thelocalreporter.press/how-free-transit-works-in-chapel-hill-and-carrboro/. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Zaretsky, Mark, et al. “With CT Transit bus service temporarily free, calls go out to make it permanent.” New Haven Register, 2 May 2022, https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/With-CT-Transit-bus-service-temporarily-free-17141504.php. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Udoma, Ebong. “Free bus fare has created more traffic on CT Transit — and less on the road.” WSHU, 18 July 2022, https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2022-07-18/free-bus-fare-has-created-more-traffic-on-ct-transit-and-less-on-the-road. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Otte, Emilia. “Lamont Will Eliminate Gas Tax Through the End of June.” CT Examiner, 14 March 2022, https://ctexaminer.com/2022/03/14/lamont-will-eliminate-gas-tax-through-the-end-of-june/. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Blumgart, Jake. “For This City, Fare-Free Transit Is a Big Success.” governing.com, 3 June 2022, https://www.governing.com/now/for-this-city-fare-free-transit-is-a-big-success. Accessed 24 October 2022.

“Suspension of Bus Fares Statewide Continues Until December 1.” CTtransit, 29 June 2022, https://www.cttransit.com/news/suspension-bus-fares-statewide-continues-until-december-1. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Latina, Jodi. “Free bus rides beyond December in Conn.?” WTNH.com, 20 June 2022, https://www.wtnh.com/news/free-bus-rides-beyond-december-in-conn/. Accessed 24 October 2022.

Mansaray, Mili. “Kansas City bus fare is free, but commuters still deal with long waits and unreliable service.” KCUR, 8 August 2022, https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-08/kansas-city-bus-fare-is-free-but-commuters-still-deal-with-long-waits-and-unreliable-service. Accessed 24 October 2022.

“With buses fare-free, SEAT ridership rises.” The Day, 30 July 2022, https://www.theday.com/local-news/20220730/with-buses-fare-free-seat-ridership-rises/. Accessed 24 October 2022.