The Boston Herald reported Sept. 21 that Massachusetts Banning Together Against Alcohol Advertising, a coalition that includes Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Boston Public Health Commission, and the Harvard School of Public Health, says that the ads expose 18,000 Boston kids who ride the trains and buses to school to alcoholic beverages on a daily basis.

But the MBTA, which recently inked a 10-year, $126-million advertising deal, says the ads for Johnny Walker, Bacardi, Coors Light, and Budweiser will stay. "We can't do it," said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo of the proposed ban. "We have the lowest base fare in the country, and one of the reasons is because we've been working hard to maximize non-fare revenue, including advertising."

Pesaturo said banning alcohol ads would cost the MBTA $1.5 to $3 million per year.

Advocates are particularly upset about ads for Budweiser's new "B-to-the-E" alcohol-infused energy drink, that urge consumers to "go longer" and state: "You can sleep when you're 30."

"Who are they targeting with these ads? Not 28- and 29-year-olds," said coalition spokesperson Amy Helburn.

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