PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is extending fare-free rides to non-ADA communities.

BRTA Advisory Board on Thursday voted to let non-ADA communities participate in fare-free rides through June.

"The advantage of fare-free is to introduce more citizens to the services," said member Douglas McNally.

The request was brought up earlier this month to the finance committee, which recommended the extension.

Last year, BRTA was awarded $699,733 from the state for fare-free service from Jan 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2025. The funding was provided in the fiscal year 2025 budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey in July and builds off two years of successful pilot programs.

The fare-free initiative was for fixed routes and ADA paratransit services.

Transit to Pittsfield for non-ADA communities would cost as much as $25 for a trip, which could be hard for some riders.

"There could be a pent-up demand that we realize financially it could cause you to not go to your doctor's appointment because you couldn't afford to take a $25 trip one way to go to the doctor's and then go home," Administrator Robert Malnati said.

The BRTA had about $7,000 in the budget to put toward this initiative.

"This way here it opens the door to know what we're about, how can we help them, in utilizing funds that are still there and just expanding the other service so it made sense," said Malnati.

Residents in 17 communities will now have the opportunity. The communities being Alford, Becket, Clarksburg, Egremont, Florida, Hancock, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Peru, Richmond, Savoy, Sheffield, West Stockbridge, Washington and Windsor.

Malnati believes this was a good step to get people to know what the BRTA does.

"I think it's a step in the right direction… We are the whole Berkshire region so why are we only limiting it to 13 communities? Why can't we open it to everybody, so we will," he said.

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