Transportation Funding Initiatives
Conversations around transportation funding in Massachusetts are both complex and urgent.
T4MA has been a part of these conversations for many years, and over the past year, our contributions have deepened and expanded. In 2024, we hosted four virtual panels (our Money Train series), engaged in advocacy including through work with RTAAC and TiE, written op-eds, and developed resources that break down the details of how transportation is actually funded in Massachusetts. We are seeking to make these conversations more inclusive and grounded in the lived experience and transportation needs of people across the state.
At T4MA, we continue to advocate for increased funding for Regional Transit Authorities, free and reduced fares on transit, and equitable access to transportation across the Commonwealth. As a statewide coalition, we take seriously the need to include voices from across the state in these important conversations about how we fund (and should fund) transportation, what the needs of communities truly are, and how we build a system that meets these needs in ways that are equitable, accessible, and rooted in care for our communities. We invite you to join us!
Below you’ll find more details our advocacy priorities.
Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs)
Governor Healey
In March 2023, Governor Healey released her first annual budget proposal allocating $25 million more in Fair Share Revenue to the state’s 15 RTAs on top of the current funding of $94.5 million.
T4MA pushed for at least $56 million more in funding for RTAs to be able to add night and weekend service statewide. After the budget worked its way through the House and Senate the final budget allocated a total of $184 million including $150 million for operating, $15 million for transportation innovation grants, $15 million for free fare programs, and $4 million for transportation grants for rural, low-income, and senior citizens.
T4MA is currently asking for the same amount of funding in this year’s budget so RTAs can continue to build on the expansion of service, free fare programs, and transit innovation grants that this funding has provided for riders throughout the Commonwealth.