Shoppers: Ride the Route 8 MTA bus for free through Dec. 31

MANCHESTER, NH — Mayor Joyce Craig and the Manchester Transit Authority (MTA) are pleased to announce that through December 31, all stops along Route 8 will be offered free of charge.

Mayor Craig and MTA Director Mike Whitten began this offering during the holiday season last year, and are pleased to be able to offer it for a second time.

“Downtown Manchester, the businesses along South Willow Street and the Mall of New Hampshire are all great places to do holiday shopping. By making travel free on Route 8, we’re hoping to give people using public transportation to shop or go to work a stress-free experience for the holidays,” said Mayor Joyce Craig. “I’d like to thank Director Mike Whitten for working with my office to offer free travel along this route for the second year in a row.”

“MTA is thrilled to again offer free transportation on Route 8, our most popular route in the entire MTA system,” said Director Mike Whitten, MTA. “This is a great opportunity to thank our passengers who ride the buses throughout the year and to also invite new members of the community who perhaps haven’t ridden a bus recently to come and check it out for free. Thank you to Mayor Craig and the City of Manchester for partnering with us again to bring back this very popular event.”

Because it’s a fixed route, it costs the MTA “next to nothing” to provide the service, according to Whitten, so it costs no more to go to the mall whether there are 10 riders or 30. When this service was rolled out in 2018 the MTA saw a 20 percent bump in ridership.

MTA Route 8 makes six regular loop stops — the Downtown Manchester Doubletree Hotel, Michaels/Burlington Coat Factory Plaza on South Willow Street, Walmart on Gold Street, the Mall of New Hampshire, South Willow Street and Weston Road, and Downtown Manchester. See a full list of route stops and times below: