BROOKLINE, Mass. — A Brookline mother said she was denied easy access to the Green Line twice this week with her two young children and their stroller.
Hilary Santos, the mother of a five-year-old and two-year-old son, told Boston 25 Saturday she was taking her kids to school from the Brookline Village station Tuesday morning.
She said the conductor did not open the accessible doors that would let her wheel the stroller on when the train arrived.
“I’m desperately trying to get in,” she explained Saturday. “The last passenger who got in had to say, ‘Can you please open the door for her?’”
Her family was eventually able to go through the accessible doors, but the conductor allegedly made her pay up.
She added, “He demanded that I leave my children in the back of the train to go tap my card in the front… He was unreasonable.”
Her two boys, she said, were left for a moment alone.
She continued, “My five-year-old ran to my two-year-old to protect him because he understands he should never be left unattended.”
On Thursday at the Heath Street station on the Green Line, Hilary claimed the accessible doors again didn’t open. She said she had to carry the stroller up the stairs with her sons by her side.
Referring to his two-year-old, she added, “He actually ended up bumping his head.”
The MBTA claimed they have been in contact with Santos.
A statement to Boston 25 read:
“The MBTA takes all riders’ concerns seriously and strives to provide safe, accessible, and reliable transportation for all passengers, including families with young children. What was described does not align with our standards or training, and we will reinforce proper protocols. We are speaking with staff and actively investigating this matter, and our Chief Operating Officer has spoken with the affected passenger to gather more information. We want to assure the public that we take cases like these to heart. We want individuals and families to feel safe and respected when utilizing our system. We apologize for any inconvenience or distress caused and are working diligently to address these concerns. We encourage any passengers who experience similar issues to report them immediately through our customer service channels. This helps us address problems quickly and improve our service.”
Santos and her family plan to keep riding the Green Line, but they hope to see better accessibility across the MBTA.
She finished, “Mothers with strollers need accessibility. This one driver might know now, but what about the other employees?”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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