Section 52 Fare-Free RTA

Chapter 161B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 6 the following section:-
Section 6A. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, an authority established pursuant to this chapter shall not, subject to appropriation, charge passenger fare for a trip on regularly scheduled fixed route service, or for a trip on complementary paratransit service that an authority is required to provide pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12143. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall, subject to appropriation, reimburse an authority for lost fare revenue attributable to providing fare-free service pursuant to this section.
(b) An authority shall collect and report ridership data to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in such form and with such frequency as the department may prescribe.
(c) The Massachusetts Department of Transportation may promulgate regulations to implement this section.