MBTA Cards
Somerville Public Schools is happy to announce that we are providing M7 MBTA Cards for all our students in Grades 7 to 12. With the M7 Card, students ride MBTA buses and subway lines for free during the school year. Please read through our FAQ below to learn more.
All SPS students (Grades 7-12) are eligible for this service.
Find more information about the M7 program on the MBTA website:
https://www.mbta.com/pass-program/student
MBTA FAQ
Students ride for free with an M7 Card. An M7 is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) card paid for by Somerville Public Schools. It is active 24/7 from the date of distribution through the end o the school year. M7 Cards can be used any time during the day for transportation on the MBTA. Students with an M7 Card ride the subway, buses, and sections of the commuter rail for free. During July and August, M7 Cards will convert to S-Cards, which offer students discounted fares. Please see the next question for details on S-Card discounts.
Students pay for their fares with an S-Card, but the fares are reduced from normal fares. S-Cards can be loaded with cash value for reduced fares or used to purchase $30.00 monthly passes or $10 7-day passes for unlimited travel on the bus and subway. This can be done using a credit or debit card at any MBTA station. Students can also show their S-Card to get half-price fares on the commuter rail and ferry, which are then printed on a CharlieTicket. S-Cards remain active until August 31.
Any M7 Cards that are not used at least once by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23 will be deactivated. Students may reactivate their card by making the request to the front office staff at their school.
If your M7 is lost or stolen, please report this to the main office at your school. School staff will deactivate your old card, and issue you a new one. Card replacement may take up to five school days. S-Cards that are lost during the summer cannot be replaced. Funds loaded onto the card cannot be reimbursed.
Students are allowed one replacement card per school year.
M7 Cards can be used through June 30. Cards then automatically convert to a preloaded S-Card. All cards are deactivated after August 31.
Cards will be distributed to students at schools by the end of September. If your student has not received their card by this time, please contact the front office staff at their school.
Parents / guardians who would like to opt out of the program can contact their school’s front office staff to have their student’s M7 Card deactivated.
Cash value can be transferred to a new S-Card even after the card has been deactivated or expired. To complete this process, the student or parents / guardians will need to visit the CharlieCard Store located at 7 Chauncy Street Boston, MA 02111. The CharlieCard Store can only transfer the funds if the student or parents/guardians have either both cards or both serial card numbers with them at the time of transfer.