🚆 A new place downtown to get your Charlie Card

MBTA riders soon won't have to wander the tunnels beneath Downtown Crossing to get a new Charlie Card .

• A new MBTA "Charlie Store" will open on Washington Street near the Old South Meeting House (across from that huge Walgreens) later this summer.

Why it matters: Commuting on the T is hard enough without dedicated customer service reps in an easy to find storefront.

• The MBTA closed down the previous Charlie store in the Downtown Crossing concourse last year because of HVAC and infrastructure problems and opened a temporary window inside the state transportation building at 10 Park Plaza .

The store will be where riders can buy passes for buses, the subway or Commuter Rail (except Zones 9 and 10,) request qualified discount Charlie Cards, replace a damaged or expired card and link reduced fare cards to contactless payment methods.

• The T is filling two storefronts at 294 Washington St. that have been vacant since DAVIDsTEA and the boutique Lou Lou closed in 2020.

What's next: After nearly a decade of planning, the T expects to transition from the plastic Charlie Card to a modern contactless tap system for bus and train fares this summer.

• The storefront will be staffed to handle riders' questions about payment and reduced fares.

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