MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

In 2006, an Economic Stimulus Bill passed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts included legislation pushed by Karen Spilka and other MetroWest area legislators.^[8] The legislation opened the possibility of a new Regional Transit Authority to be formed in the MetroWest region. The legislation states that any community providing an annual assessment to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) but not served directly by the MBTA may form their own Regional Transit Authority (RTA) using that funding instead.^[9]

Under the advisement of the legislation, the MWRTA was created in Framingham with the neighboring communities of Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Ashland, and Wayland. At the time, Framingham had its own community bus system called The LIFT (Local Inter Framingham Transit).The newly formed MWRTA was based on The LIFT. With this system, the communities of the MWRTA would have a basis for their new RTA.^[10]

As part of the growth of the MWRTA and due to Natick joining the system, Natick's own Neighborhood Bus system was incorporated into the MWRTA in the summer of 2008.^[11] Prior to the creation of the MWRTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provided part of its paratransit service, called The Ride to Framingham and Natick. On July 1, 2009, administration of paratransit service to Framingham and Natick switched from the MBTA to MWRTA in alignment with the change in assessments paid to the MWRTA by those communities rather than to the MBTA.^[6]

MWRTA began microtransit service branded as Catch Connect in Wellesley in February 2021. It replaced fixed route 8 the next month. The service was expanded to Framingham and Natick on weekends beginning in July 2021. Saturday-only Catch Connect service in Hudson and part of Marlborough began in June 2022; it was expanded to weekdays in June 2023.^[12][13]

The MWRTA acquired larger 29-foot (8.8 m) transit buses in 2025 for use on route 4N, the system's busiest route.^[14][15]