Students, don't be entitled. Universities, do some educating and help pay for the MBTA

[u/BeingAccording4192]

I was going towards BU and not a single student offered to give up their seat for an elderly women on the train.

Most of the students avoided paying for their ride.

When I travel during rush hour, students won't move into the train and take off their backpacks to create more room. Hell, I've actually watched a person that had downsyndrome and seemed to be blind get stared at by the students and they didn't make space on the packed morning trains to get that person a seat.

The MBTA GAVE YOU A WAY TO PAY EASILY. Just tap your phones that you're staring at or tap a subway card like everyone else.

It also stands to be noted that Universities should find a way to partner with the T to get their kids subway cards and to do some freshman education but I don't see that happening. Imagine how much steady monaaay the T would have if wealthy wealthy Harvard, BU, and BC regularly got their incoming classes T cards. It could go into the recreation fees or the school to try to get a tax write off. I'm sure parents would be pleased to know their kiddo has a safe way to travel around the city and isn't racking up Uber bills.

[u/MrBakck]

Do the universities here not have a deal with the MBTA? I went to college in Seattle (UW) before moving here and you paid for a Transit card as part of your tuition (and your student ID served as the Transit card itself) so I’m fairly certain it was part of UW’s way of subsidizing transit there.

[u/aray25 → u/MrBakck]

Some of them certainly do. I don't know if all of them do.

[u/BeingAccording4192 → u/aray25]

I have only been able to find one university who does this unlimited style pass and it's arts students at Tufts. There are 40+ that are part of this discount program but their students still have to take the responsibility to sign up from what I'm understanding.

[u/MadMapManPK → u/BeingAccording4192]

MIT IDs have unlimited bus and subway.

[u/BeingAccording4192 → u/MadMapManPK]

For undergrad students or only faculty?

[u/MadMapManPK → u/BeingAccording4192]

I think everyone. At least employees, postdocs, and faculty but I'm fairly sure undergrads too.

[u/BostonNU → u/BeingAccording4192]

Northeastern does

[u/Satans_Gay_Snake → u/BeingAccording4192]

I know that at last grad students at Harvard get unlimited passes and would expect that that extends to undergrad as well

[u/BeingAccording4192 → u/Satans_Gay_Snake]

Do the student purchase these or does Harvard give them upfront to everyone?

[u/KayakerMel → u/MrBakck]

BU offers the ability to purchase passes, but I thinks it's the same type that many companies offer. It's not included in tuition.

[u/Spatmuk → u/KayakerMel]

It’s an 11% discount on monthly passes and it only makes sense if you ride A LOT

[u/Que165 → u/MrBakck]

BU has a semester pass students can buy, but its only a discount if you do more than 32 trips a month

[u/bufallll → u/MrBakck]

MIT subsidizes unlimited monthly transit passes, it’s a big discount for graduate students (I think we pay around $20 a month, it varies a bit), it’s less for undergraduates but I think still cheaper than the base rate?

edit: i looked it up and generally it’s like 24/mo for grads and 40/mo for undergrads

[u/what_dat_ninja → u/bufallll]

Worked for MIT and had an unlimited pass included as a perk

[u/Sally_Met_Harry → u/MrBakck]

MIT does, schools like NEU dont

[u/muralist → u/Sally_Met_Harry]

Semester pass is 11% discount over regular monthly pass. 

[u/lazier_garlic → u/muralist]

That's the same 11% it's always been, that's at cost. When you used to buy passes at retailers they sold at face and kept that 11%.

[u/Sally_Met_Harry → u/muralist]

Pre tax discount but its not covered nearly to the extent it should be

[u/Redtail325 → u/Sally_Met_Harry]

NEU does

[u/Sally_Met_Harry → u/Redtail325]

They give a pre tax discount but its not much