For an operating transfer to the regional transit authorities organized under
chapter 161B of the General Laws, or any prior laws, under clause (2) of subsection (d) of
section 2ZZZ of chapter 29 of the General Laws; provided, that each regional transit authority receiving assistance under this item shall deliver not later than January 6, 2026, a copy of its most recent audited financial statement to the chief financial officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the secretary of administration and finance, the treasurer of the commonwealth, the comptroller of the commonwealth, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on transportation; provided, that not less than $66,000,000 shall be expended for regional transit authorities to support operational enhancements and improvements, which shall include, but not be limited to, expanded service hours, weekend services, and route expansions; provided further, that funds provided under this item in fiscal year 2025 to provide more equitable distribution of contract assistance to regional transit authorities under
section 23 of chapter 161B of the General Laws shall be incorporated into each recipient''s baseline funding calculation for fiscal year 2026; provided further, that funds may be expended to regional transit authorities whose contract assistance under
section 23 of chapter 161B of the General Laws is proportionately low in comparison to the net cost of service of the regional transit authority as compared to other regional transit authorities in order to provide more equitable fund distribution; provided further, that said funds shall be included in each recipient's baseline funding calculation in future fiscal years; provided further, that $3,500,000 shall be expended for operating assistance to regional transit authorities based on the following formula: (i) 60 per cent based on total transit ridership as reported on the most recent certified national transit data base report; (ii) 30 per cent based on population of its member communities from the most recent census; and (iii) 10 per cent based on service coverage area determined by the total square miles of its member communities; provided further, that not less than $35,000,000 shall be expended for the regional transit authorities to implement year--round fare--free service pursuant to
section 6A of chapter 161B of the General Laws; provided further, that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall oversee the distribution of said funds; provided further, that not later than April 1, 2026, the department shall submit a report to the joint committee on transportation and the house and senate committees on ways and means including, but not limited to: (1) a list of transit routes and services that regional transit authorities are operating without charging passenger fares; (2) summaries of such routes and services; (3) ridership data for such routes and services; (4) details on the mechanisms being utilized to track ridership; (5) the reimbursements, broken down by month and regional transit authority, that the department has provided or anticipates providing to regional transit authorities in fiscal year 2026 pursuant to
section 6A of chapter 161B of the General Laws; and (6) the methodology used to determine the distribution of such reimbursements; provided further, that not less than $10,000,000 shall be expended on grants to regional transit authorities for the creation or altering of routes that advance connectivity between existing public transportation routes including, but not limited to: (A) regional transit authority bus routes; (B) Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority routes; and (C) local economic hubs; provided further, that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall oversee the distribution of said grants to the authorities and shall establish grant criteria including, but not limited to, the prioritization of: (I) opportunities for increased ridership; (II) opportunities for increased total mileage covered in a single trip; (III) opportunities to reach low income individuals; and (IV) geographic equity; and provided further, that not less than $4,000,000 shall be expended for grants to transit providers to support expanded mobility options for older adults, people with disabilities and low--income individuals through the Community Transit Grant Program
| | Commonwealth Transportation Fund | ............... | 22.54% |
| | Education and Transportation Fund | ............... | 77.46% |
