A driver opens the doors of a BRTA bus for passengers at the Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield. BRTA officials expect state funding to provide for another year of fare-free bus routes.

PITTSFIELD — Bus rides in Berkshire County are expected to remain free for another year.

Kathleen Lambert, administrator of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, said Thursday that the agency expects to receive enough state funding to continue providing bus rides across its fixed routes at no cost to riders through June 30, 2027.

The state budget has not yet been formally approved. It will take effect July 1.

The announcement came before members of the BRTA advisory board voted Thursday to accept a $13.6 million operating budget for the agency for fiscal year 2027, an 11 percent increase over the previous year.

BRTA has been offering fare-free bus rides consistently since late 2024 with the support of state funding. Before Lambert’s announcement, it was uncertain whether the program would once again receive enough funding through the governor’s budget to continue beyond the end of fiscal year 2026 on June 30.

Before fares were eliminated, a standard bus ride on one of BRTA’s fixed routes cost $1.75 in cash. Paratransit rides, available by request for people with disabilities, are also free through the program.

Chairman Douglas McNally said the board may revisit the approved budget later in the year if circumstances change, which he noted has happened in the past.

Lambert said skyrocketing fuel prices as a result of the ongoing Iran war are expected to be a significant contributor to expenses, which is why this year’s budget includes an unprecedented $250,000 in contingency funding for fuel and utilities.

Administrative costs have risen 18 percent for fiscal year 2027, while costs for fixed route operations have risen 34 percent. (The latter increase is partially due to the fact that some paratransit expenses are now being lumped in under fixed route expenses, beginning this year.)

The fiscal 2027 budget must also account for planned salary increases for unionized employees through a collective bargaining agreement. The approved budget will also create a new executive assistant position.

Additionally, BRTA will be closing down the customer service desk available on the ground floor of its Intermodal Transportation Center at 1 Columbus Ave., though questions and comments can still be relayed to supervisors by phone. Keolis, the new operating company set to take over bus operations in July, will also provide an employee available on the premises to assist passengers.

In an interview following the meeting, Lambert said two customer service representatives would be laid off as a result of the change — though she said one has expressed interest in continuing work with the agency by becoming a bus driver.