MBTA plans to install cameras on buses to ticket cars in bus lanes (2025)

Transportation

“The goal of this is not to generate revenues, it is for people to obey the law,” a T official said.

By Abby Patkin

April 25, 2025

2 minutes to read

The MBTA is upping the ante in its battle against drivers who block bus lanes and stops, developing plans to mount automated cameras on its buses to catch scofflaws.

While the plans are still in the early stages, MBTA officials said Thursday they hope to launch later this year following a formal regulatory and public comment process. By year’s end, offenders could receive tickets as high as $125 by mail for violations caught on camera.

“This is not meant to be a revenue opportunity,” Rachel Morse, the MBTA’s senior director of transit policy, clarified during a meeting of the agency’s board of directors. She noted any net revenue from the tickets will go to the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, which helps to finance transportation-related projects statewide.

Drivers face $100 fines for parking at a bus stop, while the penalties for standing or parking in a bus lane range from $25 to $125. There will be two fine structures: One for personal vehicles, and one for commercial.

Alex Hallowell, the MBTA’s director of transit priority, noted access to curbs and bus stops is “critically important” for riders, particularly those with visual impairments or mobility challenges.

The T’s new program follows a state law Gov. Maura Healey signed in January allowing public transit agencies to issue parking citations using bus-mounted cameras. Notably, however, state law still doesn’t allow automated enforcement of moving violations.

Hallowell said in addition to bus-mounted cameras, there will also be pole-mounted cameras at bus exchange plazas and stops. As part of the ticketing process, a person will review each incident before sending tickets through the mail, she explained. Drivers will also have an opportunity to appeal their fines.

While the MBTA is still working out some of the finer points, Hallowell said the current thought is to offer drivers a warning the first time they encounter the automated enforcement system, at least for the first year or two of the program.

A soft launch among a small fleet of buses is tentatively slated for late fall, with the program expanding to other buses in 2026. There will also be a mandatory 60-day public education period before fines can begin.

“And we anticipate doing a very robust public communications and education program,” Hallowell added. “Because again, the goal of this is not to generate revenues, it is for people to obey the law.”