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Cities Where Riding the Bus Is Free

Cities Where Riding the Bus Is Free

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.

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.)

Source: Russell102 / iStock via Getty Images

Albuquerque, New Mexico
> Bus fare: Free through June 30, 2023
> Public transit commuters: 3,833 (1.40% of commuters)
> Population: 562,336

Source: Courtesy of Avon

Avon, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 277 (7.70% of commuters)
> Population: 6,209

Source: perspective / Flickr

Baltimore, Maryland
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 39,122 (14.40% of commuters)
> Population: 592,211

Source: Aria1561 / Wikimedia Commons

Boston, Massachusetts
> Bus fare: Free through Feb. 29, 2024
> Public transit commuters: 102,376 (28.00% of commuters)
> Population: 672,814

Source: DianeBentleyRaymond / iStock via Getty Images

Bozeman, Montana
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 140 (0.50% of commuters)
> Population: 51,574

Source: emson / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Breckenridge, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 913 (24.70% of commuters)
> Population: 5,086

Source: Courtesy of Cache Valley Transit District via Facebook

Cache, Utah
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,011 (1.59% of commuters)
> Population: 131,703

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 2,214 (8.10% of commuters)
> Population: 60,920

Source: matthewtownsend / Flickr

Clemson, South Carolina
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 474 (5.80% of commuters)
> Population: 17,238

Source: RudyBalasko / Getty Images

Cleveland, Ohio
> Bus fare: Free (trolley only)
> Public transit commuters: 12,206 (7.90% of commuters)
> Population: 374,861

Source: Courtesy of City of Commerce California

Commerce, California
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 172 (3.30% of commuters)
> Population: 12,459

Source: oregonstateuniversity / Flickr

Corvallis, Oregon
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 985 (3.40% of commuters)
> Population: 59,407

Source: larry1732 / Flickr

Crested Butte, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 8 (0.90% of commuters)
> Population: 1,419

Source: Adonis page / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Denver, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free (shuttle only)
> Public transit commuters: 22,085 (5.50% of commuters)
> Population: 706,799

Source: DianeBentleyRaymond / E+ via Getty Images

Emeryville, California
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,608 (18.60% of commuters)
> Population: 12,747

Source: PeopleImages / iStock via Getty Images

Fayetteville, Arkansas
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 603 (1.30% of commuters)
> Population: 92,070

Source: Jorisvo / iStock via Getty Images

Hanover, New Hampshire
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 54 (1.90% of commuters)
> Population: 8,813

Source: Thomas Kloc / iStock via Getty Images

Hoboken, New Jersey
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 18,028 (45.80% of commuters)
> Population: 59,369

Source: diversey / Flickr

Iowa CIty, Iowa
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 2,611 (6.50% of commuters)
> Population: 74,240

Source: alvarez / E+ via Getty Images

Island County, Washington
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 669 (1.74% of commuters)
> Population: 85,938

Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

Jacksonville, Florida
> Bus fare: Free (monorail only)
> Public transit commuters: 6,746 (1.50% of commuters)
> Population: 937,690

Source: snipes213 / Getty Images

Kansas City, Missouri
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 6,043 (2.30% of commuters)
> Population: 502,597

Source: LightFieldStudios / iStock via Getty Images

La Cañada Flintridge, California
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 91 (1.10% of commuters)
> Population: 20,613

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

Lawrence, Massachusetts
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,282 (3.20% of commuters)
> Population: 87,798

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Miami, Florida
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 16,779 (7.50% of commuters)
> Population: 440,807

Source: Jon Bilous / iStock via Getty Images

Missoula, Montana
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 869 (2.10% of commuters)
> Population: 73,300

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Niles, Illinois
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 582 (4.20% of commuters)
> Population: 30,971

Source: Courtesy of Ride the Blue Bus via Facebook

North Central New Mexico
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: Not available
> Population: Not available

Source: halbergman / E+ via Getty Images

Olympia, Washington
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 842 (3.20% of commuters)
> Population: 54,579

Source: Courtesy of City Government of Park City, Utah via Facebook

Park City, Utah
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 264 (5.30% of commuters)
> Population: 8,352

Source: Althom / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 23,357 (15.10% of commuters)
> Population: 303,207

Source: georgeclerk / iStock via Getty Images

Richmond, Virginia
> Bus fare: Free through June 30, 2025
> Public transit commuters: 5,092 (4.30% of commuters)
> Population: 225,676

Source: countylemonade / Flickr

Salt Lake City, Utah
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 7,212 (6.40% of commuters)
> Population: 199,153

Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

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

Source: Courtesy of Connect the Dot

Savannah, Georgia
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 2,162 (3.10% of commuters)
> Population: 147,930

Source: peeterv / iStock via Getty Images

Scottsdale, Arizona
> Bus fare: Free (trolley only)
> Public transit commuters: 485 (0.40% of commuters)
> Population: 238,685

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

Summit County, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 1,659 (8.80% of commuters)
> Population: 31,042

Source: Colleen Michaels / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Tacoma, Washington
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 6,529 (6.00% of commuters)
> Population: 217,332

Source: ablokhin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Vail, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 398 (12.90% of commuters)
> Population: 4,900

Source: schuminweb / Flickr

Washington, District of Columbia
> Bus fare: Free beginning July 1, 2023
> Public transit commuters: 100,595 (27.10% of commuters)
> Population: 683,154

Source: NCDOTcommunications / Flickr

Watauga County, North Carolina
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 319 (1.26% of commuters)
> Population: 54,077

Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

Worcester, Massachusetts
> Bus fare: Free through June 2023
> Public transit commuters: 2,662 (2.80% of commuters)
> Population: 203,867

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