Off Beat

A man boarded an MBTA bus with his pet rat on his shoulder. He was kicked off.

"The male/rat had to be escorted off."

File

December 2, 2022

Less than a minute to read

Apparently rats aren’t only on the subway tracks when it comes to the T.

At about 5 p.m. Thursday, MBTA Transit Police responded to a “disturbance” on an MBTA bus in Jackson Square. There, the officer found a 56-year-old man on the bus with “his pet rat sitting on his shoulder.”

“Other riders felt unsafe & exited,” police said in a tweet.

The officer then explained the T’s animal policy, which states “small animals like cats and rabbits (or rats, we assume) should be kept in pet carriers.”

“The male/rat had to be escorted off,” police said.

12/1 at approximately 5PM a TPD officer responded to a disturbance on an #MBTA bus at Jackson Sq. A 56 year old male had his pet rat sitting on his shoulder. Other riders felt unsafe&exited. The officer explained the policy re:animals on T. The male/rat had to be escorted off.
— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) December 2, 2022