PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority will make rides free through next June and give its employees a thank-you bonus.

 

The vote was taken last week by the BRTA Advisory Board during its discussion of its fiscal year 2025 supplemental grant of $724,000 from the state Department of Transportation.

 

Some $14,000 of the grant will go toward making non-ADA rides fare free starting in December and going through June. 

 

This will give seniors in rural areas transportation, which is currently not fare free.

 

"I was speaking with someone in Peru, and it would cost them $30 each time they would have to go to the doctor's office for transportation, so this is a blessing for them," said Sarah Fontaine, the Adams representative.

 

BRTA's non-ADA service is for communities outside fixed-route bus line for people with disabilities. The Senior Rural Transportation Program is for people age 60 and older who live in the following communities: Alford, Becket, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, Otis, Peru, Richmond, Savoy, Washington, West Stockbridge, and Windsor traveling Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

There is an application to be completed prior to receiving this service and rides need to be scheduled 24 hours in advance.

 

Less than $40,000 of the grant will go toward the BRTA employees. Administrator Robert Malnati says it's a thank-you bonus for all of the hard work the employees do. They will also be given a note from Malnati stating:

 

"As my heartfelt thank you for your past, current, and anticipated continued service to our customers, please accept this one-time check as a token of my appreciation for the work you do."

 

The balance of the grant funds, $671,000, will go toward the collective bargaining agreement. 

 

In other news, the BRTA also received $8 million in grants from the Federal Transit Administration. More than $5 million of the grant will go toward new hybrid buses to replace older vehicles, and $3 million will go toward rehabilitating the maintenance facility and its operations.

 

Malnati said going fare-free has gained more riders, with each month showing about a 30 percent increase from last year. He said he expects ridership to hit more than 700,000, whereas last year it was around 620,000 riders.

 

"People are riding our system. People need our system," he said.