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MEDIA STATEMENT: Boston Transportation Advocates Thank Mayor Wu for Protecting Critical Staff, Urge City Council to Affirm Move and Prevent Layoffs
“We thank Mayor Wu for moving to reverse the $1.4 million cut to the transportation department’s personnel budget and protect staff whose jobs were at risk. This action is an important step toward preventing layoffs that would impair the City’s ability to keep our streets safe and our transportation system moving.
The staff whose jobs were at risk fix our most dangerous intersections, deliver faster and more reliable buses, improve pedestrian crossings near schools and health centers, optimize traffic signals to reduce delay for drivers and riders alike, and help Boston advance the critical transportation projects residents depend on. Their work reduces crashes, saves lives, and connects us all.
Preserving these positions also protects Boston’s ability to compete for state and federal transportation funding and continue delivering projects that make our streets safer, more reliable, and more accessible.
We strongly urge the Boston City Council to affirm the Mayor’s action and adopt a final budget that preserves critical Transportation Department staff and avoids layoffs.”
Transportation for Massachusetts
TransitMatters
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
CultureHouse
WalkMassachusetts
Alternatives for Community and Environment
WalkUP Roslindale
Bikes Not Bombs
Boston Cyclists Union
Boston Better Streets Coalition
LivableStreets Alliance
Conservation Law Foundation
MEDIA STATEMENT: Boston Transportation Advocates Respond to Proposed Cuts to Transportation Department Operating Budget
“These cuts to the City’s transportation personnel move Boston in the wrong direction at a time when we should be accelerating efforts to make our streets safer and commutes better. The staff at risk of losing their jobs fix our most dangerous intersections, improve pedestrian crossings near schools and health centers, and optimize our traffic signals to reduce delay for drivers and riders alike. Their work reduces crashes, saves lives, and connects us all.
By impairing Boston’s ability to advance critical transportation projects, these cuts also threaten Boston’s ability to compete for state and federal transportation funding. These cuts may save money today, but they risk leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table tomorrow.
We strongly urge BTD to investigate all possible alternatives to layoffs in order to preserve critical staff to keep our streets safe and continue projects we know are necessary to keep our city moving.”
Transportation for Massachusetts
WalkMassachusetts
LivableStreets Alliance
Alternatives for Community and Environment
TransitMatters
CultureHouse
Boston Cyclists Union
Bikes Not Bombs
WalkUP Roslindale
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
Conservation Law Foundation
Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition
Boston Better Streets Coalition
New Poll: Driving Democracy
Poll: Massachusetts voters weigh in on ballot questions, transportation, and elections
Voters support Election Day Registration, flip against the income tax ballot question with more information.
Transit-served communities say free transit on Election Day would help with voting.
As voting rights come under attack nationally, a poll of Massachusetts voters released today finds support for making it easier to register and get to the polls on Election Day. Meanwhile, many voters flip from supporting to opposing the ballot question that would lower the state’s income tax when they hear more information about who would benefit most and the consequences for the state budget.
Those are some of the findings of a poll of Massachusetts registered voters released today. The poll was conducted by The MassINC Polling Group and sponsored by Transportation for Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Voter Table. The survey was preceded by a focus group of lower-income voters in Boston and Gateway Cities on transportation and voting issues.
Voter Registration, Free Transit on Election Day
A majority of Massachusetts voters (58%) favor a ballot question allowing Election Day Registration, according to a poll released today. Awareness of the issue is low, with only 34% of voters aware that Massachusetts does not currently allow eligible residents to register on Election Day. Among the 37% of voters who thought Massachusetts already had this policy in place, 73% would vote yes on the ballot question.
A majority (52%) of voters think that making public transit free on Election Day would make it easier for their community to vote. Subgroups that are more likely to be served by transit are even more likely to think it would make a difference. These include non-white voters (72%), current transit riders (66%), Gateway City voters (69%), lower-income voters (62%), and voters who know their polling place is served by public transit (62%).
“We’re seeing massive efforts underway in other states to dismantle voting rights, especially for communities of color,” said Shanique Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Voter Table, “This poll shows the Massachusetts voters want to go another direction, taking common sense steps to make voting easier and more inclusive.”
On the income tax, a fluid situation.
Voters initially favor the ballot question to lower the state’s income tax from 5% to 4% over the next 3 years, but many turn against it when told it would reduce funding for the state budget while sending most of the benefits to the state’s wealthiest residents. On first ask, 66% of voters plan to vote yes on lowering the income tax. After further information that drops to 40%, with 50% planning to vote no.
“Polling on ballot questions can be extremely volatile, with many voters open to changing their minds when given new information,” said Richard Parr, Vice President of The MassINC Polling Group, who conducted the poll. “If the income tax question goes before voters, this polling shows that what voters know about its full effects could have a dramatic impact on the outcome.”
Views of the state’s transportation are dim; voters express support for microtransit
An overwhelming 82% of voters rate the state’s transportation system as being in only fair (44%) or poor (38%) condition. Few respondents see minimal progress at the MBTA, with 43% saying the system is “about the same” as it has been. Roughly equal numbers say it has improved (21%) or gotten worse (19%).
The system condition numbers are worse than those found in surveys of residents conducted in 2024 and 2025. The particularly harsh winter may explain some of the pessimism. In the focus group conducted before the survey, voters from Boston and the Gateway Cities complained about their cities’ efforts to clear snow from roads, sidewalks, and bus stops after winter storms. That group also found that concerns about the pace and quality of construction work dampened enthusiasm for investing more to improve the system. Contributing to this dynamic are continuing concerns about the cost of living, which 22% of voters name as the top issue facing the state, followed by housing costs (18%).
One area where there is majority support for investment is around improving public transit in smaller communities that lack full-fledged bus service and rely instead on on-demand vans and minibuses. Nearly two-thirds of voters (64%) support more state funding for these so-called microtransit services. Rural votes (78%) are particularly supportive of the proposal.
“At a time when money is tight for voters and state government alike, it’s encouraging to see continued support for transit for our rural communities,” said Reggie Ramos, Executive Director of Transportation for Massachusetts. “These programs provide crucial mobility – a lifeline – to some of our least connected residents, many of whom have no other way of getting around.”
About the poll
These results are based on a survey of 800 Massachusetts registered voters, including an oversample of 200 voters living in the original 11 Gateway Cities (Brockton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester). Voters were contacted using conventional registration-based sampling procedures. Responses were collected from March 12 – 17, 2026, via live telephone interviews and via text message invitations to an online survey. The oversampled cities were weighted separately and then combined in proportion with the rest of the state. Responses were weighted by race, age, and gender, education, political registration and identification, geography, and vote history to reflect known and estimated population parameters for Massachusetts registered voters. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, inclusive of the design effect.
Transportation for Massachusetts awards $500,000 to advance transportation equity statewide
Funds will support community-led advocacy on critical transportation and social justice issues, improve access and safety of all street users, expand language justice, and rural and urban transit services
BOSTON – Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA), a statewide coalition tackling transportation justice, equity and affordability issues across the Commonwealth, awarded $500,000 in grants to 21 local organizations today, 70% of which are community-based organizations, and 50% are doing work outside of Boston.
T4MA’s Grants support community-driven initiatives that promote transportation access and social justice. Impact Grants uplift the work member-organizations are already doing that directly addresses transportation challenges and ensures that underserved communities are at the center of solutions at the community and statewide level. Movement Grants seek to amplify movement voices and advance organizing around issues collectively determined by the coalition as urgent and timely.
“We are living in very precarious times. It is impossible to pursue our work in transportation without considering what’s going on in other spheres. Now more than ever, we are called to coalesce around common values, and build alliances across sectors. This year’s grants lift up our members’ work across the Commonwealth, celebrating how they each reflect a unified desire for a better quality of life, a better future”, said Reggie Ramos, Executive Director of T4MA.
There are almost double the number of grantees this year compared to last year consistent with the deep commitment to support transportation justice work more widely across the state.
“We’re committed to partnering with communities and leaders, finding solutions that are truly inclusive, and building a truly equitable system that works for all,” said Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director, GreenRoots and T4MA Board Member. “As a coalition, we believe that the work our members are doing in areas of environmental justice, housing, public health, food security, climate, community-building, youth and immigrant services, are underpinned and impacted by transportation.”
These are this year’s Impact Grantees and the work the grant will be supporting:
- ACT Lawrence: Expanding organizational work that addresses interconnected issues of health, housing, and transportation factors that collectively shape the well-being of Lawrence residents.
- Action for Equity + Fairmount Indigo CDC: Improving wayfinding and connectivity for on-road bicycle and pedestrian routes that connect community-managed greenspaces close to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line.
- Allston Brighton Health Collaborative: Supporting a neighborhood e-bike lending library to increase access to sustainable urban mobility.
- Boston Cyclists Union: Relaunching the Boston Neighborhood Bike Forum, a BIPOC mobility justice convening addressing transportation inequities that have historically excluded communities of color from decision-making.
- GreenRoots: Expanding and deepening transit justice base-building work in Chelsea and East Boston communities.
- Helping Our Women: Building organizational capacity through the Latina Outreach Project to address key issues for Latinas/Latinos living in the rural towns of the Outer Cape: Isolation; Accessibility to Resources; and Systemic Racism.
- Hilltown Community Development: Supporting under-resourced rural communities in Western MA in accessing the Complete Streets Program, improving road safety, promoting public health, and strengthening community engagement.
- LivableStreets Alliance: Supporting advocacy for bus priority, reliable train service, and improved bike connections by uplifting the voices of riders, particularly older adults, people with disabilities, and those without cars.
- MassBike: Continue developing their Council of Advocates, who are local champions across the state, improving access to mobility, including bicycling infrastructure.
- Quaboag Valley CDC/Quaboag Connector: Supporting transportation service and advocacy efforts for their micro-transit service which fills a gap in transportation that would otherwise leave many residents without means to get around.
- TransitMatters: Supporting “Ride With Dignity,” a community-centered campaign focusing on bus riders in historically disinvested neighborhoods, working with local groups to demand faster, safer, and more accessible bus operations.
- WalkMassachusetts: Increasing participation in walk audits and Road Safety Audits (RSAs) across Massachusetts ensuring that the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders are fully considered in the design of our streets.
This year’s Movement Grantees will hold community/regional convenings, champion policies and lead working groups that sustain tables of power. They are:
- Alternatives for Community & Environment
- Coalition for Social Justice Education Fund
- Center for Living & Working
- Groundwork Lawrence
- New England Community Project
- Public Health Institute of Western MA
- Riders Transportation Access Group/Boston Center for Living and Working
- Western Massachusetts Transportation Advocacy Network
Grantees share how these investments are vital to their work:
“Streets should be safe for everyone, no matter how you get around,” stated Brendan Kearney, Executive Director, WalkMassachusetts. “With this funding, WalkMass will be able to attend more Road Safety Audits (RSA) statewide, weighing in to help make streets safer and expand community involvement in these planning efforts.”
Gwynne Guzzeau, Executive Director, Helping Our Women, said, “Connecting Latina women, living in the rural towns of Barnstable County with resources they need to survive and thrive, in their language, will be beneficial to advancing transportation access, racial justice and health equity on the Cape.”
“This grant will revitalize the Boston Neighborhood Bike Forum in 2026, making it possible for the Boston Cyclists Union to bring together community leaders, advocates, and residents to advance equitable mobility access across Boston’s neighborhoods,” said Tiffany Cogell, Interim Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union.
“Funding from T4MA will help expand our crucial community organizing efforts in New Bedford, Fall River and Brockton.” April Jennison, Executive Director, Community for Social Justice, stated. “This opportunity gives us the ability to work regionally, strengthening our efforts with others in the region to collaborate against issues affecting everyone in our neighborhoods like a lack of transportation options and rising housing costs.”
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Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) works towards a Commonwealth with transportation systems that connect people with their choice of housing, economic opportunities, healthcare, and accessible and reliable public transportation that benefits residents in all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.
T4MA is a statewide coalition focused on improving Massachusetts’ transportation systems. T4MA is committed to addressing the decades of inequitable transportation policies adversely impacting low-income, working class and Black, Indigenous and communities of color. Our coalition advocates at the state, federal, and local levels for transportation policies that are just, equitable, and sustainable.
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Transportation for Massachusetts Responds to Healey-Driscoll Transportation Announcement
Media contact:
Taylor Hallabuk
thallabuk@denterlein.com
January 14, 2025 – Transportation for Massachusetts Executive Director Reggie Ramos released the following statement in response to the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s transportation funding announcement.
“By making transportation a priority this session, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is responding to one of the most urgent needs in the Commonwealth. Investing in a statewide transportation network will help solve multiple problems at once – creating more options for convenient and affordable housing, new job centers, cleaner air, and less traffic.
We look forward to reviewing the Governor’s funding plan in detail. In doing so, we will first look to ensure it meets the scale of the problem, which is massive and must not be solved by an overreliance on bonding. We also must ensure equity, both in the plan’s reach and funding mechanisms.
Devoting meaningfully more Fair Share revenues to transportation is a good first step toward these criteria. Swift action is needed to pull the MBTA out of a deficit that otherwise will lead to devastating consequences for riders and communities.
However, the Governor and Legislature must also accelerate the Transportation Task Force’s other recommendations around user fees and new revenue. Fair Share funding is necessary for stabilizing our system, but to bring to life the system residents across the state deserve, we must also do more.”
Additional background:
- The MBTA faces an $800 million budget deficit in FY26
- A T4MA poll found that 53% of people who find both housing and transportation “very high” financial burdens see themselves moving, with 38% of them leaving the state altogether.
- Last month, T4MA worked together with 40 groups on a report calling for action on transportation funding this legislative session through new, long-term revenues.
Advocates Join the Healey-Driscoll Administration in Fare Free Grant Program Announcement
Release Date: October 24, 2024
Contact: Pete Wilson, 617-877-0436
Alexis Walls, 410-935-9819
Greenfield, MA—The Regional Transit Authorities Advocates Coalition (RTAAC) joined the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s event announcing the newest round of Fare Free Pilot Program grants open to the Commonwealth’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs). These grants direct $30 million from the FY25 budget to support fare free RTA programs for the rest of the fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2025.
Today’s announcement of awardees for this year’s RTA Fare Free Pilot Program recognizes the need for affordable transportation in the over 250 communities that fall within an RTA service area in Massachusetts. When fares are eliminated in RTA service areas, ridership increases significantly, providing residents an affordable option to get to jobs, healthcare appointments, school, economic opportunities, and social engagements.
In addition to the Fare Free Grant Program, the Administration and Legislature have significantly increased operating funding for RTAs over the past two budget cycles. This has resulted in expanded bus routes, more frequent service, and night and weekend service. The increase in RTA funding is a real investment in public transportation across the Commonwealth. Taken together, this is a starting point of a strong commitment from state leaders to fund RTAs at a level where they can continue to expand service to meet the needs of communities statewide.
“Affordable public transportation is critical to help Massachusetts residents access resources and opportunities that help them lead healthy and thriving lives. By prioritizing free fares for RTA riders, and expanding service through significant investments over the last two budget cycles, the Administration and the Legislature have provided a lifeline to residents outside of the MBTA service area,” said Alexis Walls of The Massachusetts Public Health Alliance and one of the co-chairs of RTAAC.
“These investments dispel the myth of a binary choice between increased service and affordability. As a result of these grants, we have seen increased RTA ridership statewide to provide the residents of the Commonwealth more options in how they get around in their daily lives,” said Pete Wilson of Transportation for Massachusetts. Wilson and Walls serve as the co-chairs of a coalition that advocates on behalf of communities served by RTAs.
“We look forward to partnering with the Healey Administration and the Legislature to ensure these pilot programs, which we know increase access to affordable transit for residents, are sustainably funded for the future and made a permanent part of RTA funding.”
Funding for RTAs has increased from $96.5 million in FY2023 to over $200 million in the current FY2025 budget. This additional funding, through the Education and Transportation Fund, has provided additional funding to the RTAs for operating, free fare grants, and other grant programs to increase connectivity and invest in rural communities.
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About RTAAC
The Regional Transit Authority Advocates Coalition (RTAAC) is a coalition of over 80 community groups, human services providers, transportation advocates, and local leaders who provide a strong, unified voice for transit users in RTA service areas across Massachusetts. The RTAAC advocates for funding and policies that aim to strengthen regional transit services to better meet the needs of communities. The RTAAC is co-led by T4MA and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance (MPHA).
Transportation for Massachusetts awards $500,000 in grants to boost transportation equity across 13 communities
Funds will support the expansion of rural and urban transit services, improve rider access, and support local advocacy on critical housing, transit and development issues
BOSTON – A statewide coalition tackling transportation justice, equity and affordability issues across the Commonwealth awarded $500,000 in grants to 13 groundbreaking projects today, with a special focus on Western Mass communities.
Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) Impact Grants support community-driven initiatives that promote transportation access and social justice. By partnering with organizations and leaders from Western Massachusetts to Greater Boston, these grants prioritize equitable transportation solutions. More than 60% of funding is dedicated to projects outside Greater Boston, underscoring T4MA’s commitment to improving access and equity in Central and Western Massachusetts.
“We’re focused on supporting and uplifting work that addresses decades of inequitable transportation policies that are adversely impacting low-income, working class, Black, Indigenous, and communities of color,” said Reggie Ramos, Executive Director of T4MA. “Together, through these grants, we know our collective efforts can lead us to just and equitable transportation systems.”
“It’s wonderful that all regions of the Commonwealth will reap the benefits of these resources,” said Andrea Freeman, Public Health Institute of Western MA, T4MA Board Member. “The need is truly great, perhaps nowhere more so than in Western Massachusetts.”
Grantees are leading essential work to strengthen and improve the state’s transportation systems, and ensure that underserved communities are at the center of proposing and driving solutions on both the community and statewide level.
Awardees include:
- ACT Lawrence will enhance financial education and counseling for youth and adults, promoting financial independence.
- Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) will support the youth-led T Riders Union in advocating for improved MBTA service in Greater Boston.
- Coalition for Social Justice will organize riders around transit justice and affordable housing, focusing on initiatives like Bus Riders United and the Zero Fare Coalition.
- Western MA Transportation Advocacy Network will invest in an annual transportation forum to secure funding and develop innovative solutions for rural transportation challenges.
- GreenRoots will hire new staff for multilingual outreach and lead the Chelsea Public Transit Task Force, addressing transit needs in car-limited communities such as Chelsea and East Boston.
- Groundwork Lawrence will support the Pa’lante task force in climate change education and the development of a city-wide pedestrian plan in Lawrence.
- Hilltown Community Development Corporation will expand flexible micro-transit in 10 rural towns by purchasing a van, recruiting drivers, and enhancing service marketing.
- MassBike will expand its coalition to address transportation needs in Environmental Justice communities and under-resourced areas.
- Neighbor to Neighbor MA will integrate transportation justice into its strategic plan, broadening advocacy from Lynn to Worcester and Springfield.
- New England United for Justice will launch the Squares and Streets planning process, advocating for improvements at the intersection of housing, development, and transit in Dorchester and Mattapan.
- Public Health Institute of Western MA will support the Healthy Air Network’s advocacy for clean air and transportation initiatives across Springfield, Holyoke, and regional partners.
- RTAG/Boston Center for Independent Living will establish a working group of bike, disability, and pedestrian advocates to collaborate on bike lane issues in Boston.
- WalkMassachusetts will lead advocacy efforts for walk and road safety audits, ensuring pedestrian and cyclist considerations in roadway design.
“Rural areas have been left out of transportation planning and investment and the Hilltowns are not immune from this national phenomenon,” said Joan Griswold, Hilltown Community Development Corporation Director of Community Programs. “There are no alternatives to transportation in our rural communities and funding from T4MA will expand the service area of the two microtransit programs we have built to provide vital transportation services for our Hilltown residents.”
New England United for Justice is using their grant to power the Squares and Streets planning process in Boston “to build awareness and create space for the community to advocate for local changes at the intersection of housing, development, and transit,” said New England United for Justice Executive Director Noemi “Mimi” Ramos. “We are also focused on rebuilding transit systems and development changes to Columbia Road in Dorchester.
“This grant will support advancing the work of our community engagement group focusing on community education around climate change,” said Eddie Rosa, Groundwork Lawrence, which received a $46,000 Impact Grant. “It’s part of our ongoing efforts to increase accessibility in the city, which includes the development of a city-wide pedestrian plan.”
T4MA works towards a Commonwealth with transportation systems that connect people with their choice of housing, economic opportunities, healthcare, and accessible and reliable public transportation that benefits residents in all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.