Graduate School
MIT
Undergraduate School
Cornell University
Mentor
Monica Tibbits-Nutt, 128 Business Council and Rappaport Institute Advisory Board Member
Agency
Office of Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu
Supervisor
Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, former Rappaport Center Law and Public Policy Fellow
Description of Fellowship
Ehab served as the transit policy fellow in the Office of Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor At-Large. In this capacity, Ehab prepared a report on the benefits and costs of fare-free bus transit in the post-COVID context, departing from the precedence that the MBTA set by mandating rear-door boarding and not charging fares on buses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report details the reasons for adopting fare-free bus service and reassesses its potential costs and other effects, including equity benefits, lost revenue, changes in passenger behavior, and interactions with other modes such as the subway and The Ride. Ehab additionally assisted with the office’s efforts to develop the transit dimension of a just and equitable COVID recovery and wrote city council resolutions on transportation topics.