Senate budget boosts RTA funding, backs fare-free buses
Accelerates Beacon Hill debate about how best to support low-income riders
By 
THE STATE’S 15 regional transit authorities, long considered a transportation afterthought on Beacon Hill, are suddenly all the rage. RTAs, which operate local bus networks across the state outside the MBTA’s service territory, have long had a line item in the state budget. After adjusting for inflation, however, the state’s basic operating support for the(...)