Stacy Thompson, executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance and co-chair of the Transit is Essential Coalition, recommended a low-income fare program, where low-income Commonwealth residents could purchase reduced-cost tickets across the system.

Kristiana Lachiusa, director of Transit + Outreach for LivableStreets Alliance and a resident of the Porter area, noted that the issue is broader than businesses versus bikes, because the corridor “isn’t really working well for anybody,” she said.

“This is why we are advocating for statewide free buses,” said Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group. “The T is going to collect most of this money anyway, but there are so many other benefits we can implement.”

Jim Aloisi and Stacy Thompson discussed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s announcement of a two-year, fare-free program for MBTA bus routes 23, 28 and 29 beginning March 1, 2022, and how the program relates to Wu’s mission to make the T free. Aloisi is the former Massachusetts transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters board and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Thompson is executive director of Livable Streets.

Riders of the 23, 28, and 29 buses are primarily people of color who have low incomes, according to a 2019 report from LivableStreets, a public transportation advocacy group. The routes travel along or intersect with Blue Hill Avenue, where the city plans to install center-running bus lanes.

“If the members aren’t asking hard questions, particularly around things like safety and finances, then what is their purpose?” asked Stacy Thompson, executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a public transportation advocacy group. “You have an opportunity to do so much, what are you doing with that role?”

Each route serves a diverse ridership, and they all intersect with Blue Hill Avenue, which research and advocacy group Livable Streets Alliance identified as a corridor that should be prioritized for reliability improvements and increased ridership, the city said.

Other BRT-like programs include the Columbus Avenue center bus lane and new boarding platforms in Boston, which opened this past fall. A study by Livable Streets found that 78% of bus riders were satisfied with the new features, and a quarter said they ride the bus more now.

Among the 26 groups signing the Memorial Drive Alliance’s comments were Green Cambridge, the Livable Streets Alliance, A Better Cambridge, the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association, Cambridge Residents Alliance and Mothers Out Front.

Stacy Thompson of LivableStreets Alliance also stressed the importance of equitable access and questioned why the T doesn’t have a complete low-income fare policy...