Saferide con-artist?

Oct. 25, 2011

Saferide con-artist?

MIT Police issued an informational bulletin via email yesterday warning the MIT community of an unauthorized 18-passenger bus that had been charging students $5 for transportation during overnight hours.

According to the bulletin, MIT Police stopped the bus on Sunday just before 3 a.m. on Amherst Alley near McCormick Hall, but MIT Police urges the community to report any reappearance of the vehicle. The bulletin also noted that official Saferide shuttles are marked “MIT Parking and Transportation,” and drivers wear an MIT Parking and Transportation uniform.

Operations Manager of Parking and Transportation Larry Brutti had no additional information as of Monday afternoon. He said he’s never heard of an incident like this before in his time at MIT.

Harvard had a similar incident earlier this year. According to a Jan. 24, 2011 article in The Harvard Crimson, an unmarked van driver charged students $5 for transportation and claimed to work for a private charter company unaffiliated with Harvard.

—Maggie Lloyd

3 Comments

annie get your gun over 12 years ago

Are they kidnapping students? If not, and they are actually providing a transporting service (pricey as it may be), what's the big deal? Article needs to give more detail.

Anonymous over 12 years ago

In the Harvard incident, there were two problems with what the van driver did. He didn't have a Cambridge jitney license. And he didn't tell students about the overpriced $5 fare until the trip was over and they were getting off the bus.

Surely a student intelligent enough to gain admission to MIT or its lesser fellow institution, Harvard, is bright enough to tell a deceptive van driver where to stick it, rather than shell out $5.00 (if indeed, he or she is deceived).