As lawmakers on Beacon Hill dig in on this year’s state budget, 79% of Massachusetts residents support increasing funding for the state’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs), which provide local bus and paratransit service beyond the reaches of MBTA bus and subway service.  Nearly as many (74%) support using some of the new voter-approved surtax on the portion of income over $1 million to fund the increase.

That’s according to a new poll of 1,401 Massachusetts residents conducted February 23 to March 7, 2023 by The MassINC Polling Group (MPG) in collaboration with the Regional Transit Authority Advocates Coalition (RTAAC). The poll was sponsored by The Barr Foundation.

Even when told the specifics of the policy – increasing the amount the RTA’s receive in the budget from $94 million to $150 million – 69% of voters support the proposal. Support rebounds when new funding is earmarked for offering more bus service at night and on weekends (79%).

“It’s not surprising for support for a policy proposal to decline slightly when real numbers are attached, and to increase when talking about how new funding would be used,” says MPG Senior Research Director Richard Parr. “What is perhaps more surprising is that support for RTA funding is strong across the entire state, not just in the areas served by RTAs that would benefit it.”

Many of these subgroups are also overrepresented among bus riders, who are less likely to be white (54% versus 72% statewide). more likely to be under age 30 (34% versus 22%). A majority (53%) of riders make less than $50,000 a year, 43% have a high school diploma or less education, and 80% do not own or lease a car (34%) or have only one car (46%).

Current riders are using the bus for many different types of trips – shopping and errands (74%), health care appointments (62%), work (61%), visiting friends and family (57%), and going out at night (52%). And 45% of current riders say they would want to use the bus for nightlife more than they can now, suggesting a latent demand for expanded night and weekend service. Non-riders also say they would like to use the bus to access nightlife (35%), but also basics like shopping and errands (40%), health care appointments (36%), and commuting to work (32%).

“A robust, statewide public transportation system is necessary to achieve better health for RTA riders, who, this survey shows, are more likely to be Black and low-income, and who rely on the bus for day-to-day activities like grocery shopping and going to the doctor,” says Alexis Walls, Assistant Campaign Director for the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) and co-chair of the Regional Transit Authority Advocates Coalition (RTAAC).

Read the full release.