THE STATE’S 15 regional transit authorities, long considered a transportation afterthought on Beacon Hill, are suddenly all the rage.RTAs, which operate local bus networks across the state outside the MBTA’s service territory, have long had a line item in the state budget. After adjusting for inflation, however, the state’s basic operating support for the RTAs actually declined 5 percent between fiscal 2016 and 2023, according to the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.But now the RTAs are poised to get a chunk of the $1 billion in projected revenue from the millionaire tax. In her budget proposal, Gov. Maura Healey proposed using $25 million from the millionaire tax money to support the RTAs. The House upped that number to $70 million, and the proposed Senate budget contains $100 million, a tenth of all projected funding from the new tax.The $100 million in the Senate proposal includes $56 million for direct operating support, $25 million for innovation grants, $4 million for accessibility grants, and $15 million so each of the RTAs can launch six-month, fare-free pilots on their bus systems.
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Why does this matter? GATRA is our regional transit authority (RTA)
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