The drinks trolleys raise questions

When the silver-toned Coors Light T train rumbles through Northeastern University on Huntington Avenue or the fiery-red Bacardi "Party Express" trolley rolls down Commonwealth Avenue near Boston College, Maria Matos's taste buds begin to water.

"You're walking around campus all stressed out, and you see those trains. Of course, you want a drink," said Matos, a 21-year-old Boston University senior, in between sips of a "red death," a vodka- and whiskey-based beverage, at the school's packed on-campus pub one night last week.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has given advertisers the right to wrap its Green Line trains in dramatic designs touting their products, in what has become an important generator of revenue for the financially strapped authority. But the very visible presence of T cars blanketed with liquor promotions traveling through areas of heavy student population has set off concern among some riders and officials.

"The Green Line should be green; it shouldn't have alcohol ads plastered all over the place," said Antoinette Rossi, a board member of the Brighton-Allston Improvement Association. "The MBTA has a responsibility."

Councilor Jerry P. McDermott says the ads are irresponsible, especially because of the riots after the Super Bowl and a Red Sox playoff game last October, and he wants to ban them.

McDermott has asked for a hearing with MBTA officials and public health advocates to discuss a ban.

"Why are we pushing booze on trains that go right through the college areas?" McDermott asked. "I have the right to ask that question. We need to change the culture and change the attitude."

McDermott is chairman of the council's University and Community Relations Committee and represents Allston and Brighton.

Police Captain William Evans, who commands the Allston-Brighton district, has repeatedly voiced concern over the ads, McDermott said. Allston Civic Association president Paul Berkeley said the prevalence of liquor ads represents a "decay of morals" and portrays a lifestyle hardly glamorous when compared to the district's homeless and alcohol abuse problems. Other residents expressed similar sentiments.

The liquor wrap ads run only on the Green Line, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. That line is appealing to advertisers because of high visibility: It goes aboveground and is viewed by many drivers, pedestrians, and T patrons.

Three of the four Green Line branches go through areas heavily populated by students. However, Pesaturo said, the MBTA does not target specific neighborhoods for certain kinds of ads.

He said the transit system does not choose the advertisers that buy some 60,000 advertisements on T vehicles and stations citywide, including the wrap ads, he said. An independent advertising contractor is responsible for daily administration of advertising, and the ads must conform to MBTA-issued guidelines. According to the guidelines, ads must display "uniform, viewpoint-neutral standards" and the display of tobacco products, firearms, or illegal substances is prohibited.

The MBTA could not pull liquor ads even if it wanted to, Pesaturo said. The agency has a five-year, $87 million deal with the contractor that runs until 2005. And under a mandate issued by the Legislature to maximize nonfare revenue, T officials said, the MBTA would take a significant financial hit if it lost alcohol bids.

"We don't think that liquor ads rise to the level where we need to compromise a very important piece of our nonfare revenue program," said MBTA general manager Michael H. Mulhern. About the officials' complaints, he said: "Negative statements are very easy to make when you don't have to maintain a system."

Pesaturo said the MBTA should not be singled out for criticism. "Look at the ads appearing on taxis, billboards," he said. "It's not an MBTA issue, and it's certainly not limited to T vehicles."

A message left with the MBTA's advertising contractor seeking comment was not returned.

Some large public transportation systems in other cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco, prohibit liquor advertisements. A number of other cities are considering the idea, according to George Hacker, director of the Alcohol Policies Project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Henry Wechsler, director of research for the College Alcohol Project at the Harvard University School of Public Health, said marketing tactics are a major element of the college binge-drinking culture, particularly among underage students.

He declined to comment specifically on the T trains, but said neighborhoods with large student populations tend to see greater amounts of liquor advertising, whether it be on bars, billboards, or public transportation.

"When one arrives on campus, the message is clear: We're here to serve you beer," said Wechsler, who has studied alcohol and college students for more than a decade.

Mark Hughes, a marketing consultant based outside of Philadelphia and author of the upcoming how-to brand sales book "Got Buzz?" disagreed with the notion that the train wraps target young people.

"Subway advertising might increase the incidence of alcohol purchase at stores, but it's not going to make underage kids want to go out and drink," he said.