MeVa to Allow Open Strollers on Buses as Employee Helps Change Policy

Parents traveling with children in strollers will be allowed to drive their children onto buses operated by MeVa Transit beginning Sunday, April 13, instead of having to break down and fold the unit, in a policy change meant to make the free transit option more attractive.

Currently parents must take their child out of their stroller along with any belongings, fold the unit up and then carry the stroller, child and other items onto the bus, explained Noah Berger, MeVa’s administrator, during a recent appearance on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. Then once aboard, the parents must stow the stroller under their seat.

He said his agency’s current policy is enough to discourage the most ardent supporter of public transportation who travels with small children.

Just ask Betsaida Jarvis who is the inspiration for the change in policy and an employee of the Haverhill-based bus system. She is also the mother of a toddler.

Jarvis found herself on the subway in Boston last summer when an announcement came over the public address system saying that passengers would have to disembark and take a bus because the system wasn’t running as far as her stop due to a maintenance issue. She said she started to panic because she knew what was required for riders of her home MeVa system.

After negotiating her way out of the subway station to the waiting bus, she tentatively inquired of the bus driver what she should do. He saw the stroller and asked what was the problem. It was in that moment she discovered open strollers are permitted on buses operated by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Because entrances are at street level to accommodate wheelchairs and others with mobility issues, parents with strollers can also come aboard without struggling.

“You can bring it open and you can just park it in a designed area that they have and then it was like this is the best thing ever. That’s when I spoke to Noah and said ‘We need to implement this in our system because it is just so much easier for mothers,’” she said.

As in Boston, MeVa’s fixed route buses have entrances designed at street level for easy access for everyone, Berger said. Because MeVa’s smaller “on demand” buses have steps, strollers will still have to be folded for those using that option.

“I think this is really important because this is us listening to our customers, making sure that we are as welcoming, as accommodating, as enjoyable experience as we possibly can.,” Berger said.

Berger said there are some limitation and safety guidelines incorporated in the new policy. For instance, you can’t sneak a dog onto a bus in a stroller nor can you bring a load of packages in a stroller and expect to be accommodated. Additionally, wheelchair riders will have priority since the strollers will be parked in the same spaces the open strollers will use, he said.

“Once we see how this new policy goes, I’d like to look into expanding it for shopping carts, he said.

To make sure the ride is safe for everyone, children will have to be secure in the stroller and won’t be allowed to get out while the bus is moving, Berger said. Parents must put the brake on the stroller so it won’t roll away.

The policy took seven months to formulate because the agency’s safety officer, Jessenia Fernandez, needed a chance to research what other systems do and to think through all the bad things that could happen, Berger said. He is confident the new policy will be popular and safe.