Photo: Chaiel Schaffel
LAWRENCE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The McGovern Transportation Center became the new Lawrence hub for the Merrimack Valley Bus System earlier this month, but the building lacks this key feature: public bathrooms.
MeVa administrator Noah Berger said the bus system couldn’t spare the money to open bathrooms to the public.
“It would come out of the same operating dollars that we use to put buses on the streets of Lawrence and Haverhill," Berger said.
Over 3 million people use the free bus system every year. The building does have two single-stall bathrooms, but they’re only for the bus drivers.
Local businesses around the station said they see up to 10 people a day asking to use the bathroom, even though they have signs saying "no public bathrooms."
The inside of the McGovern Transportation Center is home to 10 pianos, but no public bathrooms. Photo: Chaiel Schaffel
The previous Lawrence bus hub didn’t have public bathrooms either, but residents are still upset.
“What if you have a child that needs their diaper changed? Having a public restroom like that should be an obligation,” said a local resident.
Another reason MeVa is keeping the bathrooms closed to the public is cleanliness. The agency said it doesn't have the capacity for a cleaning staff.
“Honestly, if you were to have a bathroom that was supposedly open to the general public, but looked like a pigsty, no one would want to use it,” Berger said.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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