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Speaker 1: Starting in twenty twenty two, the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit

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Speaker 1: System called MEVA launched a fair free bus pilot program

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Speaker 1: for sixteen towns in cities with hubs in Lawrence, Haverlin, Methuen.

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Speaker 1: A year ago, they made that program permanent.

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Speaker 2: Our ridership is basically triple since we went fair free.

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Speaker 1: Noah Berger is the MIVA transit administrator. He says research

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Speaker 1: also shows ridership gains especially high with service to hospitals

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Speaker 1: and clinics.

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Speaker 2: That translates to people seeing doctors. That's people staying healthy,

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Speaker 2: that's people staying alive, which has a tremendous benefit to

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Speaker 2: our community.

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Speaker 1: And the ridership numbers are especially high to schools. This

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Speaker 1: man was hopping on a bus in Lawrence.

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Speaker 3: We got like four towns around us that you can

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Speaker 3: get anyway you really need too of the bus, So

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Speaker 3: that's all free. It's so convenient from Lawrence.

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Speaker 1: Sherry Small WZ Boston's news radio