Free for undergraduate students of the Tufts University Museum of Art Officials announced Monday that the MBTA will offer unlimited subway and bus passes for the next two years through a pilot program.
The two-year pilot program, funded by Tufts University, will offer undergraduate students at the university free travel from the university’s Medford campus, officials said.
Tufts will be the first university to participate in the pilot program, called “University Pass,” officials said.
“We’re excited to work with Tufts University on University Pass and grateful that they’ve covered all subway and local bus travel costs for hundreds of SMFA undergraduates this fall,” MBTA General Manager Philip Eng said in a statement. “Easier access to public transportation means improved access to classes, internships and recreational opportunities. It’s a freedom of opportunity, and we hope Tufts SMFA students make the most of the T and make it a part of their daily lives.”
The university would pay a flat monthly fee to the MBTA. After two years, “the MBTA will evaluate options to potentially expand the pilot further,” officials said.
“Our students need flexibility in choosing how and when to travel between the Medford/Somerville campus and Tufts University-SMFA in Boston.” “The MBTA’s Green Line is uniquely positioned to provide direct service between Medford and Tufts University’s SMFA with frequency that private shuttle service simply cannot match,” Barb Stein, the university’s vice president for operations, said in a statement.
Administrators at any Boston-area college or university can apply to participate in the University Pass pilot program, officials said. Colleges can admit specific groups of students based on a variety of criteria, officials said.
The pilot program is separate from the MBTA’s Semester Pass, which offers students at more than 40 universities in the greater Boston area an 11 percent discount on fares, officials said.
“Low-income young people between the ages of 18 and 25 can still apply for the MBTA’s Youth Pass, which provides qualifying riders with a roughly 50% discount on fares,” the statement said.
For more information about MBTA fare products, mbta.com/fares.
Contact Ava Berger at ava.berger@globe.com. Follow her Ava Burger.
