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How Burlington Works

Public transportation has taken on a new meaning in Burlington over the last several years.

Prior to 2020, Burlington operated the B-Line, a public bus route that ran between Lahey Hospital, the senior center, the mall, and other shopping areas, said Town Administrator John Danizio at the Select Board's April 27 meeting. However, this system became increasingly expensive and inefficient, costing approximately $250,000 annually at the end of its operation. The ridership had significantly dwindled, making the cost per ride unsustainable.

In an effort to continue serving Burlington residents who relied on the B-Line service, the town piloted a rideshare program in 2020 as a more flexible alternative to the fixed-route bus system. The program offers town-subsidized rides to seniors, the economically disadvantaged, and those with disabilities.

Riders pay the first $1, the town pays up to $10, and then riders are responsible for the remainder of the fare. The state collects a 20₵ surcharge from riders for each ride originating in Burlington and returns 10₵ of that to the town. These funds, which in 2024 amounted to $43,148.40, are put back to use subsidizing the program. (While the surcharge is scheduled to sunset in January 2027, the state legislature is currently considering whether to extend or eliminate this sunset clause or even increase the surcharge.)

The Lyft program, as it's become known, was initially funded through a revolving account that contained remaining balance from the B-Line program operations. Since then, said Danizio, the program has exploded.

In 2024, about 80 unique riders were taking roughly 1,600 rides per month. Today, that number has grown to 200 riders taking 4,200 monthly rides. Select Board member Sarah Cawley noted that ridership has grown 300% since July 2023, increasing every single month.

Currently the program features two tiers, with Tier 1 allowing 50 rides per month and Tier 2 allowing 35 rides per month. Up to 40% of participants are maxing out their ride allowances at the higher tier, said Danizio, and at today's usage, the budget for the program is projected to be $350,000 – exceeding the previous B-Line budget by 20%.

The Select Board and Town Administration acknowledged the need for a deeper look at Burlington's public transportation programming but also agreed that the Lyft program's growth is unsustainable. For this year's budget, which will be presented to Town Meeting starting on May 11, Danizio proposed a $250,000 budget for Fiscal Year 2027 with some programming changes to support the reduced allocation – a proposal supported by the Board with a 5-0 vote.

The Select Board and Town Administration will continue discussing what changes to make to the current programming, but such changes might include a reduction in ride limits for each tier, an adjustment of the per-ride subsidy amount, a tiered subsidy, or changes to the eligibility age. Danizio suggested disability and income requirements could remain as they are today. However, administrative costs would need to be considered as more oversight would be required to manage these new requirements.

In the long term, the Select Board and Town Administration said they'd like to take a deeper look at public transportation options in Burlington, exploring alternative transportation models, including a potential return to fixed-route service or even autonomous vehicles.

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