The MBTA is eyeing 24-hour service through a proposal for late night buses that would run until 4:15 am and not collect any fares.

The free route would go north and south of the city, and include the Boston neighborhoods of Mattapan, East Boston, the downtown area and the neighboring cities of Chelsea and Revere, according to a request for proposals from outside contractors.

The buses would run every 30 minutes, starting at 1 am, according to WGBH News, which first reported the request for proposals.

The 7-night a week service would start in July 2018 and run until June 2019, with opportunities for extension of contract.

The proposal seeks to "create 24-hour service for customers who need transportation to and from late night employment," according to the scope of service posted on a state website.

"The route will operate between Broadway & Park St in Revere, through Chelsea and East Boston, downtown Boston, Back Bay, South End, Dudley Square, Grove Hall, and follows Blue Hill Ave. to Mattapan Station," the document adds.

The MBTA has previously created late night bus service, dubbed "Night Owl" service, but scrapped it saying there were too few riders. A more recent effort -- late night bus service on weekends -- ended in 2016 after officials said it had low ridership.

Steve Poftak, a member of the MBTA's fiscal control board, said the transit agency is taking another look at the cost and appetite for the service.

"We'll have to see what comes in," he told reporters on Monday.

A copy of the proposal is available below.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4356791/MBTA-Scope-of-Service-RFR-156-17.pdf"&amp;amp;amp;gt;MBTA Scope of Service RFR 156 17 (PDF)&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4356791/MBTA-Scope-of-Service-RFR-156-17.txt"&amp;amp;amp;gt;MBTA Scope of Service RFR 156 17 (Text)&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

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