Just want to point out the line in the article about how "important it is and how big it is for not just our residents but our businesses."

Worcester has become so car-dependent and I see these cool businesses pop up from time to time and then fail and need to close down, usually because they have no dedicated and plentiful parking, only on-street parking or expensive parking garages/lots nearby. And everyone I talk to these days just complains about the traffic and there is NOWHERE to park or parking has become so expensive, so people don't want to make the effort to venture out and give their money to the businesses here.

I would love to see in addition to the continued free fare is frequent buses on all routes, better sidewalks to be able to safely walk to and from the stops, benches at every dedicated bus stop, and an effort to destigmatize public transit so that it's not seen as something just for people of a certain income level but something that literally everyone and every business can benefit from.

TLDR; literally the entire Worcester economy would improve if the overall infrastructure for public transit was higher quality and used by way more people. /endofsoapboxrant