Transportation
Recent
Fair Share Advances Racial Equity Through New Budget Investments
The first year of investments made with Fair Share dollars demonstrate how the new surtax creates opportunities to mitigate the ongoing harms of structural racism ...
Read More →
Three Funds, One Purpose: Implementing Fair Share
The Fiscal Year 2024 budget is the first state budget to include money raised from the Fair Share Amendment, making important investments in education and ...
Read More →
Your Fair Share Dollars at Work: Critical Investments and Hard Choices
The Fair Share Amendment is doing what voters wanted it to do: making new, important investments in our Commonwealth and making our tax system more ...
Read More →
ALL TRANSPORTATION REPORTS
Does it Make Sense to Collect Bus Fares?
Eliminating fares on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Regional Transit Authority (RTA) buses makes sense for practical economic reasons as well as for equity ...
Read More →
Free Buses Advance Equity
Transit fares deepen existing income inequalities and racial disparities. Transit riders tend to have lower-than average incomes, especially bus riders. Black and Latinx residents are ...
Read More →
The Dollars & Sense of Free Buses
There are many reasons to eliminate transit fares, especially on buses. In addition to advancing equity and reducing climate change emissions, fare-free service is more ...
Read More →
Freeing the Climate: Environmental Benefits of Eliminating Transit Fares
In addition to being more efficient and equitable, eliminating bus fares would benefit the climate. The transportation sector is the biggest and fastest-growing source of ...
Read More →
Testimony before the Health Equity Task Force on the importance of work and family mobility for all, regardless of immigrant status
Testimony by Monique Ching, Senior Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, for the Health Equity Task Force public hearing on February 8, ...
Read More →
Driver’s licenses for immigrants without status – how would it affect Massachusetts?
This series of briefs examines the potential effects of licensing undocumented drivers in Massachusetts. The briefs look at the effects on public safety, child health, ...
Read More →
FY 2021 GOVERNOR’S BUDGET: Transportation – Governor proposes more funding, partly reversing past cuts
The Governor's FY 2021 budget proposal is notable for acknowledging the need for more transportation investment to improve our current road and transit systems. This ...
Read More →
The Gas Tax: What it is and Who Pays
This two-page fact sheet explains the gas tax and why it tends to fall hardest on those with low and moderate incomes.
Read More →
FY 2021 BUDGET PREVIEW: Will the Transportation Budget Reflect New Realities? 6 Things to Look Out For
Will the Governor's FY 2021 budget proposal indicate his commitment toward improving public transit, developing regional rail, reducing traffic congestion, and other priorities?
Read More →
The Pros and Cons of Higher Gas Taxes, and How They Could be Offset for Lower-Income Families
As the Commonwealth seeks to improve our aging transportation system, policy makers have considered raising the gas tax. This paper assesses the gas tax along ...
Read More →
Funding Improvements for Schools, Roads, and Public Transit with Tax Reforms that Improve Fairness
A ballot question has been proposed that would support investments in education and transportation with revenue from an additional 4% tax on income over a ...
Read More →
