Worcester is home to the longest-standing fare-free transit system in the country. The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) has 26 bus lines throughout Worcester and several surrounding towns, and has been fare-free since 2020. Additionally, Worcester is serviced by the MBTA Commuter Rail’s Framingham/Worcester line, which runs between Union Station in Worcester and South Station in Boston.
Buses:
Bus stops are marked by signs indicating which routes the stop is for (although several are faded or do not have numbers). Some have a QR code that will show the upcoming arrival times for the stop. At most stops, the bus will not stop unless someone onboard requests it or if someone is waiting at the stop.
Along Main Street near Clark, outbound stops (away from downtown Worcester) are on the same side of the street as Clark, including the Main St + Gates St stop next to Higgins University Center. Inbound stops (towards the Central Hub in downtown Worcester) are on the opposite side of the street next to the Alumni Student Engagement Center (ASEC), such as the Main St + Crystal St stop in front of University Park.
These stops are located on bus routes 19, 27, and 33, which all follow the same path along Main Street between Clark and Central Hub. Additionally, routes 7 and 825 stop on Park Ave near Clark. To access most other routes, it is easiest to go to the Central Hub, where all routes start.
Bus schedules are listed at www.therta.com. The written schedules only show major stops, but further down the webpage there is a map that shows all stops on the route, as well as upcoming arrival times after clicking on a stop.
Each route has different schedules and frequencies, but on average routes operate between 5:00 AM and 11:00 PM from Monday through Thursday. Many routes have different schedules on Friday through Sunday, which are generally around 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On weekdays some buses are as frequent as every 20 minutes, with other routes having up to an hour between buses. On Fridays and weekends, many buses run every two hours.
The bus schedule can be difficult to understand, but using Google Maps to get directions to any specific destination gives an accurate schedule, even on trips where you need to take multiple buses.
Commuter Rail:
The Framingham/Worcester line commuter rail schedule is at https://www.mbta.com/schedules. The full trip from Worcester to Boston with 15 stops takes about an hour and 40 minutes, but there are many express trains that do not make each stop, shown by blank spaces on the timetable. There are frequent trips on weekdays from around 4:00 AM to 12:00 AM, and on weekends there are trains every two hours.
Tickets can be bought on the mTicket app, or onboard with cash or card when conductors check tickets. Fares are based on distance, and a one-way ticket from Worcester to Boston (or back) is $12.25. On weekends, you can buy a $10 weekend pass which gives you unlimited rides from Saturday morning to Sunday night, in addition to some holidays.
