MBTA Cracks Down: Bus Lane/Stop Parkers to Face Automated Fines in 2026

Heads up, Southie! If you’ve been chancing it parking in bus lanes and bus stops, your days are numbered. The MBTA has just approved a brand-new automated ticketing system, set to roll out in 2026.
Here’s how it works: cameras will scan for cars parked in bus lanes and bus stops, snap a photo, and send a ticket straight to your mailbox. Fines will start at $25 and can climb all the way up to $125 for repeat offenders.
The idea, pitched by Gov. Healey earlier this year and green-lit by the MBTA’s board this week, is aimed at keeping the bus lanes clear and the system moving.
With over 40 miles of bus lanes and around 7,000 bus stops, Hallowell and Morse proposed popular and most impacted lanes and stops to pilot the program.
So, consider this your official warning: bus lanes are for buses—park elsewhere or pay up!
Read more about this here!

Maureen Dahill is the founder of Caught in Media. Once a longtime wardrobe and prop stylist for brands such as Rue La La, TJ Max & Hasbro, she is a devoted lover of vintage clothing, Martini Mondays, Castle Island, AND a 4th generation South Boston native. Mother of three, married to Peter G.


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