Next stop for the fare-free bus: Cambridge

Also: Biden officially declares 2024 re-election campaign; meet Boston's new mural consultant [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 25, 2023 ☁️ Cloudy, with scattered showers this afternoon and a high near 57. Good Morning Boston, I promise this isn't becoming solely an MBTA newsletter — but first the MBTA needs to promise to stop making news. - Could the fare-free bus roll into Cambridge? Boston Mayor Michelle Wu [told WBUR's Tiziana Dearing during her monthly Radio Boston interview yesterday]( that the two cities are in talks about eliminating fares on the MBTA's Route 1 bus — which runs from Harvard Square down Massachusetts Avenue to Nubian Square in Roxbury. - Why? The 1 bus is the T's fourth-most popular bus route, carrying [nearly 9,000 riders a week](. But it also gets very much bogged down in Mass. Ave traffic. Wu says that letting people get on without paying is one way to help speed it up. "It would be one of these examples where we could document and show the benefits of people being able to get on and ride for free," she said. - Boston has already eliminated fares on three bus routes running through Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan as part of a two-year experiment. Last month, the city [released a report]( showing it boosted ridership and saved 26% of riders over $20 a month. - What's next for Cambridge: Officials are still working to finalize the details and start date for lifting fares on the Route 1 bus. But aides to City Councilor Burhan Azeem, who chaired [Cambridge's fare-free working group]( say it will likely be a one-to-two year pilot. - In the weeds: Not all transportation wonks love this whole fare-free movement. Harvard fellow David Zipper [recently wrote in Vox that such initiatives are a distraction]( from what should be transit agencies' core focus: delivering quality, reliable service. However, Wu argues buses are [a small percentage of MBTA fare revenue]( and should be a "public good" like libraries and parks. Listen to [her full Radio Boston interview here](. - If you like free buses, well... the MBTA announced a new slate of subway line shutdowns in May as crews keep [working on the tracks to get service back to normal speeds]( That means we'll be seeing a lot of those free Yankee shuttle buses running between Boston and Braintree in the weeks to come. A few highlights: - The Red Line's Braintree branch will be replaced by shuttle buses starting at 8:45 p.m. for four straight Monday-Thursday stretches. - Both of the Red Line's southern branches will be replaced by shuttles all day during the first three weekends of May. - Service between Braintree and South Station on three commuter rail lines will be replaced by buses the first two weekends of May. - A big chunk of the Green Line — including the entire C branch — will be replaced by shuttles over Memorial Day weekend. - You can read [the full list of May diversions here](. - Massachusetts Democratic Party members have elected Steve Kerrigan to be their new leader. Kerrigan, the CEO of Kennedy Community Health Center and a 2014 lieutenant governor nominee, will take over for Gus Bickford, who's served seven years as chair. - Did you know Kerrigan also co-founded the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, the group behind [the annual Memorial Day flag garden on Boston Common]( - A new survey released today by MassInc Polling Group shows two out of three Boston Public Schools parents are concerned about their child’s physical safety while in school — and the level of concern is particularly high among Black and Asian parents. - Go deeper: WBUR's Samuele Petruccelli [reports that three quarters of parents also favor putting police officers and metal detectors back in BPS schools]( — with Hispanic parents showing the strongest support. A minority of city councilors have also called for reversing the 2021 removal of police from inside schools. However, Wu and BPS leaders [have stood by the change.]( P.S.— Want to report on stories like this? Applications to be WBUR’s next Education Reporting Fellow are [open now through May 15](. The six-month position comes with pay and benefits — not to mention the opportunity to be on the WBUR airwaves. [Apply here!]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [President Biden officially declares he's running for reelection]( At 80, President Biden is the oldest person to serve in the office. He cast his decision to run again as a fight for personal freedoms. [Read more.]( [President Biden officially declares he's running for reelection]( At 80, President Biden is the oldest person to serve in the office. He cast his decision to run again as a fight for personal freedoms. [Read more.]( [Bristol sheriff investigating Friday's jail uprising]( Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said Friday's uprising in two housing units at his jail could have turned violent — but for correction officers quickly leaving the housing unit. [Read more.]( [Bristol sheriff investigating Friday's jail uprising]( Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said Friday's uprising in two housing units at his jail could have turned violent — but for correction officers quickly leaving the housing unit. [Read more.]( [Mass. delegation members take court reform proposal on the road]( Several members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are going on tour to tout a plan to change the Supreme Court. [Read more.]( [Mass. delegation members take court reform proposal on the road]( Several members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are going on tour to tout a plan to change the Supreme Court. [Read more.]( [Driver involved in fatal Hingham Apple store crash pleads not guilty]( The driver of an SUV that crashed into a Apple store, killing one man and injuring nearly two dozen other people, was traveling as fast as 60 mph and did not apply his brakes, a prosecutor said in court Monday. The driver's lawyer said the data was not accurate and the crash was an accident. [Read more.]( [Driver involved in fatal Hingham Apple store crash pleads not guilty]( The driver of an SUV that crashed into a Apple store, killing one man and injuring nearly two dozen other people, was traveling as fast as 60 mph and did not apply his brakes, a prosecutor said in court Monday. The driver's lawyer said the data was not accurate and the crash was an accident. [Read more.]( [Healey taps 'nationally recognized' transit safety expert for new MassDOT safety chief role]( Lavin will be tasked with “ensuring a safe and healthy environment” for all employees and passengers “in all modes of transportation” in the state, according to a release from the governor’s office. [Read more.]( [Healey taps 'nationally recognized' transit safety expert for new MassDOT safety chief role]( Lavin will be tasked with “ensuring a safe and healthy environment” for all employees and passengers “in all modes of transportation” in the state, according to a release from the governor’s office. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - From an I-93 underpass in the South End to a mural in Allston, the public arts agency Street Theory, Inc. has made their mark across Boston. Now, the city is hiring the company as its official mural consultant to shape a new round of public art. WBUR's Arielle Grey reports on [what to expect over the next three years](. - Dorchester-bred author Dennis Lehane’s new novel “Small Mercies” explores the massive upheaval caused by Boston’s 1974 court-ordered busing through a fictional story set in Southie. Book critic Carol Iaciofano Aucoin [writes the richly textured tale makes you want to read fast and slow at the same time](. - Monday was a head-spinning day in the cable industry, with Fox News [abruptly announcing prime-time star Tucker Carlson was leaving the network]( followed by the news of [anchor Don Lemon's exit from CNN](. Meanwhile, ESPN [announced a round of layoffs]( with more cuts involving on-air talent expected to come this summer. - The Amtrak's popular Downeaster train between Maine and Boston carries more than 400,000 passengers a year. But it wasn't always that way. Here's [a look at the history of the service — and what lessons it holds for supporters of East-West rail](.  What We're Reading 📚 - She Redefined Trauma. Then Trauma Redefined Her. ([The New York Times]( - A distant crisis: Top MBTA managers live hundreds — or thousands — of miles from the troubled system they’re trying to fix ([The Boston Globe]( - Greed Is Still The Problem ([Defector](  Tell Me Something Good [$10M donation to Holyoke Community College sets record, challenges norms (CommonWealth Magazine)]( In the world of higher education philanthropy, the gift —the largest amount ever pledged to a Massachusetts community college —stands out as an uncommon example of donor generosity targeted to the kind of institution that needs it most. [Read more.]( [$10M donation to Holyoke Community College sets record, challenges norms (CommonWealth Magazine)]( In the world of higher education philanthropy, the gift —the largest amount ever pledged to a Massachusetts community college —stands out as an uncommon example of donor generosity targeted to the kind of institution that needs it most. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common goes [inside the reckoning at Barbara Lynch's restaurants with Boston Globe reporter Janelle Nanos](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["This sign mocks me daily."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.