Fare-free bus route pilot program marks one month in Willmar, MN

In order to help provide those who need it with transportation, Central Community Transit has started a pilot program to test the effectiveness of fare-free busing along the Willmar city bus route . Other bus routes run by the CCT are not a part of the fare-free program, which began in July and will run until Dec. 31.

Funding for the program was provided by the Willmar Area Community Foundation and was given to the Mid-Minnesota Development Commission to facilitate the funds. The original grant was for $20,000: $18,000 was given to CCT to cover potential lost revenue, and the other $2,000 was used by the MMDC for marketing purposes.

Whenever somebody boards the bus during this time frame, drivers make note of when and where they were picked up. This is then used to determine if the program is leading to an increase in the use of the bus system. In July, 361 people made use of the free bus route. While the data has not been fully analyzed, this does seem to be an uptick, according to Nieland.