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Transportation

  • Reports

    Resurging Regional Ridership: An analysis of mobility flows, riders, and ridership in the WRTA region

    The WRRB has released a series of reports on the WRTA in recent years, most recently All Aboard: Financing a Fare-Free WRTA. The WRTA’s exceptionally speedy ridership recovery, with 140% of 2019 pre-pandemic values by the end of 2022, may be due in part to the fare-free service begun in March 2020.

    April 18, 2023
  • Municipal Finance,Reports

    All Aboard: Financing a Fare-Free WRTA

    The Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board has suspended fares at the agency since March 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent emergency.

    March 9, 2023
  • 2022 News,Events,In the News,Other Events

    Buck Bus 2022

    Buck Bus is back! MassLive has partnered with the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, WRTA, Niche Hospitality Group and Preservation Worcester to bring back the Worcester trivia game as part of Jane Week in the Woo. Watch as reporter Tom Matthews finds out how well WRTA riders know Worcester.

    May 6, 2022
  • Brief,Economic Development,Reports

    Bureau Brief – Addendum to “Implications of a Fare-Free WRTA”

    In May 2019, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau published a report analyzing the Worcester Regional Transit Authority’s fare policy, providing facts and figures on ridership, collection costs, service zone demographics and more.

    November 10, 2020
  • Brief,Reports,Transportation

    Bureau Brief — Walkability

    Walkability has numerous benefits, but how walkable an area is can be hard to quantify—while people have good intuitions about whether their neighborhood lends itself well to casual strolls, or how many destinations are easily reachable on foot, it can be harder to put those thoughts and feelings into a context that could inform public policy.

    January 3, 2020
  • Events,Other Events

    Buck Bus 2019

    Niche Hospitality Group, Worcester Regional Transit Authority, and The Research Bureau have all partnered to bring the Worcester based trivia show to you this year. Join host Tom Matthews as he hops on a bus and meets riders from all over the city partaking in the only game show hosted on a WRTA bus.

    September 17, 2019
  • Reports,Transportation

    The Implications of a Fare-Free WRTA

    The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA), like many bus systems, suffers from low and declining ridership. There is research and evidence from other cities that going fare-free – not merely lowering fares, but eliminating them entirely – is perhaps the most effective ridership-boosting tool available to bus systems.

    May 22, 2019
  • Events,Forum

    City on the Move: Building on Worcester’s Transportation System

    In September 2018, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau released City on the Move: An Overview and Assessment of Worcester’s Transportation Needs.

    October 30, 2018
  • Reports,Transportation

    City on the Move: An Overview and Assessment of Worcester’s Transportation Needs

    A transportation center for centuries, Worcester has aggressively developed connections to the outside world. By land, air, and (if only for a few decades via the Blackstone Canal) by sea, Worcester has invested in the infrastructure necessary to move people and goods in and out of the city.

    September 28, 2018
  • 2018 News,In the News

    “Buck Bus” – Video Trivia with the WRTA and Worcester Railers

    The Worcester Railers HC teamed up with The Research Bureau and the Worcester Regional Transit Authority to bring you Buck Bus—a Worcester trivia game show played on the Worcester buses —in honor of Jane Week! Watch the 4-part video series now!

    May 14, 2018
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Worcester Regional Research Bureau

The Research Bureau serves the public interest of Greater Worcester by conducting independent, non-partisan research and analysis of public policy issues to promote informed public debate and decision-making.

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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission and History
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Annual Reports
    • Donate
      • Support / Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Sponsors and Contributors
  • Research
    • Research & Reports
    • Visualizations
    • Worcester Almanac
      • 2025
      • 2024
      • 2023
      • 2022
      • 2021
      • 2020
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events & Forums
    • Annual Meetings
    • Thomas S. Green Public Service Awards
    • Isaiah Thomas Awards
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Submit Your Idea
Recent Reports
  • Brief,Economic Development,Reports

    Raising Housing: Understanding the Affordable Housing Crisis in Worcester

  • Reports

    Insights Insider: Protected Land in Worcester County

  • Brief,Economic Development,Reports

    Housing Production Plan Explainer

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