Parking & Transportation

Parking

All visitors looking for Commencement Day parking, including guests needing accessible parking, should proceed to the Soldiers Field Park Garage on the Harvard Business School Campus, located at 111 Western Avenue in Allston. Signs will be posted directing traffic to Soldiers Field Park Garage or a nearby overflow lot. Please note that all parking is on first-come, first-served basis, and is in satellite parking areas. This parking will be available beginning at 6:30AM on May 23rd for Commencement.

Guests with further questions on accessibility parking needs or accommodations should please send an email to disabilityresources@harvard.edu to discuss. If you are looking for extended parking during this week please contact the Parking Office at parking@harvard.edu. This is a busy week at the University and we may not be able to assist with all requests.

Please plan your visit accordingly as traffic in Cambridge will be extremely busy, with significant delays going to and from Harvard Square.

Additionally, Commencement Week visitors and guests should be aware that there are numerous commercial parking facilities in and around Harvard Square. Locations and additional information can be found at www.harvardsquare.com/parking. Please be respectful of the Allston and Cambridge communities by not parking on residential streets.

For additional details please visit Harvard University Transportation & Parking.

Motorist Assistance Program (M.A.P).

This service is available 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Transportation Services provides free on-campus emergency road service for faculty, staff, students and visitors who need help charging a dead battery, changing a flat tire, or retrieving keys that have been locked inside a car. Please call 617-496-HELP (4357).

 

Shuttle & Van Services
 

Shuttle services
This includes services for Class Day on Commencement.

 

Fixed Route Service: We will provide continuous bus service between the main parking areas at the Business School to Harvard Square. We will also provide service going from the Radcliff Quad to Harvard Square near the yard. Shuttle buses will run between 6:30AM-9:00PM on May 23rd and 8:00AM-9:00PM on May 22nd. All vehicles are fully accessible for guests using wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

 

Shuttles will operate approx. every 5 minutes from the Quad: down to the end of Garden Street (Harvard Square), around the rotary, and then up Mass Ave to the Quad.

 

Designated Stops: Quad Area (Currier House), Garden St at Mason St, and at the end of Garden Street (Harvard Square), back to the Quad Area.

 

Shuttles will operate approx. every 15 minutes from the Allston Campus: Soldiers Field Park Garage, down Western Avenue, onto North Harvard Street, over the Anderson Bridge, onto J.F.K. Street, into Harvard Square (CVS).

 

Designated Stops: Soldiers Field Park Garage, Harvard Business School (Spangler Patio), Harvard Square (Tasty Burger).

 

For information on Harvard Shuttle Services for Commencement Day, please call 617-495-0400.

 

Current Shuttle Map: Commencement Shuttle Service Map

 

The Harvard Shuttle Tracker continuously displays the location of Harvard University shuttles and animates their motion against a detailed map of recognizable University buildings and landmarks.

  • shuttle.harvard.edu

Van services

Day Time Van Service: We will operate fully accessible vans for people who, because of physical impairment or medical condition, find it difficult to use the fixed route shuttle buses. Use of this service is limited to those preapproved by Harvard Disability services. People who plan on using this service or who have guests coming to the university that wish to use the service should get approved by contacting disabilityresources@harvard.edu. After being approved we will book reservations for rides.

Evening Van Service: This service will run between 7:00PM - 3:00AM with the last call is taken at 2:30AM. It is open to the entire Harvard Community including visiting guests. It provides point to point ride service within our service boundaries around the Cambridge and Allston Campus. No advanced reservations are accepted. Rides can be requested at 617-495-0400.

 

Public Transportation

The Harvard Square stop on the MBTA's Red Line subway is directly across the street from Harvard Yard. For more detailed information on public transportation options please visit the Transit page of the Harvard University Transportation & Parking.

From South of Boston: Drive to Braintree MBTA station parking garage (Braintree exit 17 off of Route 3 coming from Cape Cod or the South Shore). Take the Red Line in the direction of Alewife to "Harvard." Allow approximately 45 minutes for the subway portion of the trip.

From the North of Boston: Drive to the Alewife MBTA station parking garage. Take the Red Line. Get off at the third stop, "Harvard." Allow fifteen minutes for the subway portion of the trip.

From the West of Boston: Drive to Riverside MBTA station in Newton, the western terminus of one branch of the Green Line (Exit 22A from Route 128), where there is an open-air parking lot. Take the Green Line to the "Park Street" stop. Go downstairs, following signs marked "Red Line to Alewife." Take train in the direction of Alewife four stops to "Harvard." Allow one hour for the subway portion of the trip.