Permanent free public transportation is on its way to our nation’s capital. Washington D.C.’s city council recently approved a plan to drop the $2 Metrobus fare for riders who board buses within the city limits. Several other major cities, including Boston and Denver, are considering implementing similar zero-fare policies to recover commuter numbers that were lost during the pandemic.
Despite ridership going down as millions of people began working from home, public transportation proved indispensable to many essential workers in 2020. To ensure that residents and workers could reach jobs and crucial services without a financial burden, some cities, including Los Angeles, temporarily suspended fares during the peak of the pandemic. Many of them have extended their zero-fare policies with continued city funding. (These are the most affordable metros for commuters.)
To determine cities that offer free bus rides, 24/7 Tempo consulted a list compiled by MoneyWise, a financial news and information site, as well as local transit sites. Population and commuter numbers are 2021 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey.
Some areas are ahead of the game. Riders in Cache Valley, Utah, and Island County, Washington, have enjoyed free public transportation for over a decade. Others, like Albuquerque, have just recently implemented pilot programs that will offer free transit to bus riders while conducting studies on the impact of fare-free transportation in the community.
Click here to see cities that offer free bus rides
It’s not just commuters who can take advantage of free buses. Some larger cities offer limited free routes in downtown business and shopping districts. Baltimore’s Charm City Circulator, for example, is a fleet of 24 free shuttles that run along four routes in the city’s central business district. Cleveland, Denver, and Scottsdale, Arizona, offer similar free service through popular shopping areas.
Some smaller cities, including Crested Butte, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, are tourist destinations that offer free shuttles to ski areas and outdoor trails. Other small cities like Corvallis, Oregon, feature transit systems that are completely fare-free throughout all corners of the city, while New Mexico’s North Central Regional Transit District connects cities in four northern counties with free bus lines. (Here are small cities with the best public transportation.)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
> Bus fare: Free through June 30, 2023
> Public transit commuters: 3,833 (1.40% of commuters)
> Population: 562,336
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Avon, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 277 (7.70% of commuters)
> Population: 6,209
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Baltimore, Maryland
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 39,122 (14.40% of commuters)
> Population: 592,211
Boston, Massachusetts
> Bus fare: Free through Feb. 29, 2024
> Public transit commuters: 102,376 (28.00% of commuters)
> Population: 672,814
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Bozeman, Montana
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 140 (0.50% of commuters)
> Population: 51,574
Breckenridge, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 913 (24.70% of commuters)
> Population: 5,086
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Cache, Utah
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,011 (1.59% of commuters)
> Population: 131,703
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 2,214 (8.10% of commuters)
> Population: 60,920
Clemson, South Carolina
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 474 (5.80% of commuters)
> Population: 17,238
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Cleveland, Ohio
> Bus fare: Free (trolley only)
> Public transit commuters: 12,206 (7.90% of commuters)
> Population: 374,861
Commerce, California
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 172 (3.30% of commuters)
> Population: 12,459
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Corvallis, Oregon
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 985 (3.40% of commuters)
> Population: 59,407
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Crested Butte, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 8 (0.90% of commuters)
> Population: 1,419
Denver, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free (shuttle only)
> Public transit commuters: 22,085 (5.50% of commuters)
> Population: 706,799
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Emeryville, California
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,608 (18.60% of commuters)
> Population: 12,747
Fayetteville, Arkansas
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 603 (1.30% of commuters)
> Population: 92,070
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Hanover, New Hampshire
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 54 (1.90% of commuters)
> Population: 8,813
Hoboken, New Jersey
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 18,028 (45.80% of commuters)
> Population: 59,369
Iowa CIty, Iowa
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 2,611 (6.50% of commuters)
> Population: 74,240
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Island County, Washington
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 669 (1.74% of commuters)
> Population: 85,938
Jacksonville, Florida
> Bus fare: Free (monorail only)
> Public transit commuters: 6,746 (1.50% of commuters)
> Population: 937,690
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Kansas City, Missouri
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 6,043 (2.30% of commuters)
> Population: 502,597
La Cañada Flintridge, California
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 91 (1.10% of commuters)
> Population: 20,613
Lawrence, Massachusetts
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,282 (3.20% of commuters)
> Population: 87,798
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Miami, Florida
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 16,779 (7.50% of commuters)
> Population: 440,807
Missoula, Montana
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 869 (2.10% of commuters)
> Population: 73,300
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Niles, Illinois
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 582 (4.20% of commuters)
> Population: 30,971
North Central New Mexico
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: Not available
> Population: Not available
Olympia, Washington
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 842 (3.20% of commuters)
> Population: 54,579
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Park City, Utah
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 264 (5.30% of commuters)
> Population: 8,352
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 23,357 (15.10% of commuters)
> Population: 303,207
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Richmond, Virginia
> Bus fare: Free through June 30, 2025
> Public transit commuters: 5,092 (4.30% of commuters)
> Population: 225,676
Salt Lake City, Utah
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 7,212 (6.40% of commuters)
> Population: 199,153
San Francisco, California
> Bus fare: Free for those under 18 and over 65
> Public transit commuters: 138,913 (27.80% of commuters)
> Population: 865,933
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Savannah, Georgia
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 2,162 (3.10% of commuters)
> Population: 147,930
Scottsdale, Arizona
> Bus fare: Free (trolley only)
> Public transit commuters: 485 (0.40% of commuters)
> Population: 238,685
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Summit County, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,659 (8.80% of commuters)
> Population: 31,042
Tacoma, Washington
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 6,529 (6.00% of commuters)
> Population: 217,332
Vail, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 398 (12.90% of commuters)
> Population: 4,900
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Washington, District of Columbia
> Bus fare: Free beginning July 1, 2023
> Public transit commuters: 100,595 (27.10% of commuters)
> Population: 683,154
Watauga County, North Carolina
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 319 (1.26% of commuters)
> Population: 54,077
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Worcester, Massachusetts
> Bus fare: Free through June 2023
> Public transit commuters: 2,662 (2.80% of commuters)
> Population: 203,867
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