City Suspends Big Apple Shuttles

All shuttle bus services running between Harvard Square and New York City were suspended last week by the City of Cambridge since the bus operators had failed to obtain the appropriate city licenses.

Shuttle buses had been running without necessary “jitney” licenses since October, when the Harvard Law School (HLS) shuttle began offering round-trip service for $40 between the Square and New York, according to Richard V. Scali, executive director of the Cambridge License Commission.

The jitney license is required by the state of Massachusetts for all private transportation providers who follow a fixed route with stops. While the jitney license is mandated by the state, it is up to local officials to issue and enforce the licenses.

Both of the companies running shuttles out of the Square—Greyhound and Entertainment Tours, which operates the HLS shuttle—said they hoped to resume service from the Square to New York as soon as possible.

Their representatives said each company has begun the formal process to be considered for a license.

Michael Curreri, a spokesperson for Entertainment Tours, said that having to stop the HLS shuttle service was a major financial blow.

“We have been very pleased with the services so far and we desperately want to resume them,” Curreri said.

Even with the addition of the Undergraduate Council’s shuttle and Greyhound service operating out of Harvard Square, the market for transportation to New York was still profitable.

“Obviously, Greyhound’s new service didn’t help our business any, but it didn’t really seem to impact us either,” said Curreri.

In order to resume service from the Square, bus operators will have to submit an application to the Cambridge City Council. Applications will then be considered in a public hearing.

According to Scali, the opinion of various community groups could be a deciding factor in the decision whether to grant the license.

Scali said noise and traffic complaints from residents and businesses in the area surrounding the former shuttle stops first alerted Cambridge officials to the unlicensed bus service.

If the city council approves the application, it will then be forwarded to the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy, which oversees most state transportation licensing, for final approval.

Scali said the difficulty of operating large buses out of the Square might prove problematic in the quest for jitney licenses.

“It’s just so difficult to move buses through Mass. Ave and Harvard Square, finding an appropriate bus stop may be a challenge,” said Scali.

As Greyhound and Entertainment Tours await word of their future ability to operate from the Square, Undergraduate Council members said they may step in to meet some of the demand for a New York shuttle.

The council’s one foray into providing shuttle service came last February, when it offered a round-trip bus ride to New York City over President’s Day weekend.

“If there is sufficient student demand, we may consider offering shuttle service on weekends and special holidays,” said Michael R. Blickstead ’05, chair of the council’s Campus Life Committee.

Blickstead said he believes the council is not subject to Cambridge’s licensing restrictions because it operates shuttles directly from Johnston Gate.