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.)
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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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Source: Courtesy of Avon
Avon, Colorado
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 277 (7.70% of commuters)
> Population: 6,209
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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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
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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
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
Source: Courtesy of City of Commerce California
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
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
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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
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Hanover, New Hampshire
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 54 (1.90% of commuters)
> Population: 8,813
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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
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
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Source: snipes213 / Getty Images
Kansas City, Missouri
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 6,043 (2.30% of commuters)
> Population: 502,597
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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
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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
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Niles, Illinois
> Bus fare: Free
> Public transit commuters: 582 (4.20% of commuters)
> Population: 30,971
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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
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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
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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
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
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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
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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
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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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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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