POR 2025-19
Asked the City Manager to direct the appropriate City staff to coordinate with the MBTA in finding ways in which to strengthen safety measures
POR 2025 #19 by adding to the first “Whereas” the words “identifying which high school the students come from and reach out to those schools and work with staff and students to address these behaviors”The clerk's words, from the minutes of Mar 3, 2025, p. 11.
View the roll call on the amendment
Voted yes (7)
Burhan Azeem
Marc McGovern
Patty Nolan
Paul F. Toner
Ayesha M. Wilson
Cathie Zusy
E. Denise Simmons
Absent (2)
Sumbul Siddiqui
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
View the roll call
Voted yes (7), unanimous
- Burhan Azeem
- Marc McGovern
- Patty Nolan
- Paul F. Toner
- Ayesha M. Wilson
- Cathie Zusy
- E. Denise Simmons
Absent (2)
- Sumbul Siddiqui
- Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
O-3
Public transportation is essential for countless Cambridge residents, particularly for the many seniors who rely upon MBTA buses for mobility and independence; and
Some seniors have recently reached out to City Hall to report repeated incidents on the Route 78 bus at Harvard Square during the 3 pm hour, alleging that high school students utilizing the bus tend to crowd, shove, and harass elderly riders, sometimes necessitating police intervention; and
Bus operators have attempted to address these disturbances, but the lack of enforcement and security presence has allowed them to persist, making many of these seniors feel unsafe, and the absence of MBTA security personnel reliably situated in the stations at Harvard has contributed to a growing sense of vulnerability among senior riders; and
The City and the MBTA have an obligation to take measures to increase the safety that those utilizing the MBTA – especially seniors – rely upon so that they may access public transit safely and without harassment; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to coordinate with the MBTA in finding ways in which to strengthen safety measures, including:
Increasing Transit Police and security presence on buses and at key transit hubs, especially during peak student travel hours;
Deploying additional staff at bus terminals and train stations to deter disorderly behavior;
Providing more training and support for bus operators to manage unruly passengers; and
Establishing a formal reporting system for seniors to report safety concerns in real-time; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to communicate this policy order to the MBTA General Manager and relevant officials, urging swift action to improve safety for seniors and other vulnerable riders, and to report back to the City Council on this matter in a timely manner.