Parking, Transportation, and Getting Around

Getting Around

Harvard offers a variety of accessible options for parking and transportation. People who receive reasonable accommodations related to parking will not be required to pay more than the applicable rate for similarly situated individuals without disabilities who park in the same facility. All Harvard shuttles comply with accessibility requirements. Harvard also offers a daytime van service in Cambridge and Allston for individuals who, because of disability, cannot use the accessible shuttle bus. The daytime van service is intended for university business. Area taxis and the area’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) public transportation system offer accessible transportation options for personal matters.  

The MBTA has a dedicated Mobility Center for anyone looking to explore accessible transit options and other community transport resources. The MBTA also offers Accessibility Guides for subway, bus, commuter rail, ferry, and the RIDE (the RIDE paratransit service provides door-to-door, shared-ride public transportation to people who can’t use the subway, bus, or trolley all or some of the time due to temporary or permanent disability). People who have vision impairments may be eligible for free MBTA rides using the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Charlie Card, and other people with disabilities may be eligible for reduced fares using the Transportation Access Pass. Please note that the MBTA is not Harvard affiliated and Harvard is not responsible for availability or changes in service. 

Wheelchair accessible area taxis and ride sharing companies Uber WAV and Lyft Access also offer accessible local transportation.  

For information on accessibility in the closest airport, visit Accessibility at Boston Logan International Airport. 

Residential Student Housing - Students

Students who wish to request housing accommodations should contact their school's Local Disability Coordinator (LDC). Many LDCs have resources and forms posted on their website to initiate a request. Please see the LDC List to find your School’s contact person or office for this interactive process. 

Faculty

University Disability Resources (UDR) and Harvard’s Transportation & Parking Services jointly manage disability-based faculty parking and transportation accommodation requests.  

Faculty wishing to request parking or transportation accommodations may initiate the process by completing the Parking Request Form for parking accommodation requests and/or the Transportation Request Form for daytime van service requests. 

The requestor may be asked to submit medical documentation from a qualified health care provider. If requested, medical documentation must identify functional limitations that support the request, along with the duration that the parking and/or transportation accommodation is needed. Medical documentation may be submitted by a qualified health care provider using the Medical Documentation Request Form. 

If someone is unable to utilize the digital forms above, then these documents may also be sent to disabilityresources@harvard.edu or via fax at (617) 495-8520. 

Staff

Staff wishing to request parking or transportation accommodations may initiate the process by contacting their local Human Resources Office.

Visitor and/or One-Day Parking Requests - Harvard Parking

Online Purchase: Accessible permits may be purchase in the Parking Online Permit System for the following locations: 

  • Broadway Garage (convenient for Harvard Art Museums and surrounding areas) 
  •  52 Oxford Street Garage (convenient for Northwest Science, Harvard Museum of Natural History, Peabody Museum and surrounding areas) 
  • 10 Everett Street Garage (convenient for Harvard Law School and surrounding areas) 

Alternate Locations: Individuals seeking parking in alternate locations not listed above, please contact the Campus Service Center via phone at (617) 496-7827 or via email at parking@harvard.edu or in person by visiting the Campus Service center in Smith Campus Center room 807.  

Longwood: For information regarding parking at the Longwood Medical Campus, please call 617.432.1111 or the HMS parking website 

Public Parking

Please note that City of Cambridge parking and public parking are not Harvard affiliated and Harvard is not responsible for availability or changes in service.