SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Our team coverage on the Union Station concerns turns now to the impact losing the free ride program could have on riders. Thousands of Springfield residents ride the PVTA for free every day just to get to work. Now, that free ride may be in jeopardy. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said a lack of accountability is turning Union Station into a dangerous hub for juvenile disturbances — and he wants it stopped.

The mayor said he witnessed the chaos firsthand just a few nights ago. He described a scene of nearly 70 young people acting completely out of control. Now, he’s demanding a system that tracks who is on these buses — or he wants the free rides to stop entirely — and that would hit daily commuters hard.

Charles Watts takes the bus every day to get to work. The free fares save him twenty-five dollars a week — money he says he can’t afford to lose, “it’s not fair to penalize one city because the mayor can’t solve the problem as opposed to just getting rid of all of it. Because a lot of people really, really just want to ride the bus.”

But Mayor Domenic Sarno said the free bus program is no longer about convenience. It’s about consequences, “out of control, out of control, complete disrespect. They know they face no consequences at all from juvie court audit. And that’s why we put the word out there. We’re not going to stand for it anymore.”

The mayor said the current system has no way to track troublemakers. He’s pushing for a swipe card or voucher system to weed out those causing havoc, "You have these congregating of youths, juveniles, young people, coming from all over the area as a meet-up at Union Station. This is happening all over the country. And things are getting out of control."

For riders like Richard Woodson, who depends on the bus to get to work, the mayor’s plan feels like a penalty for being poor, “It’s going to make it hard for people to get around, get back and forth to work. How are people supposed to get back and forth to work if they ain’t got no money to get on the bus?”

The PVTA said its hands are tied. In a statement, the agency said its fare policy is set by the Massachusetts legislature and the PVTA Advisory Board — and it cannot change the fare structure unless those bodies act, “the regional transit authorities fare policy is set by the MA legislature and the PVTA Advisory Board. PVTA is unable to make changes to the existing fare structure unless these bodies act.”

The mayor said public safety trumps policy, “you get out of line, you don’t obey the rules and regulations, you’re going to be arrested. And as far as with the PVTA or the bus program, I’m demanding, I want accountability, I want checks and balance, and I want a tracking system, a swipe card.”

The mayor said he is saving lives by cracking down now — before someone gets killed. On June 9th, the PVTA Advisory Board meets — and the answer they give could determine whether thousands of Springfield residents keep their free ride or lose the one thing that gets them to work.

Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.