Itโs Thursday, Boston.
๐ฅ It mightโve taken a dip during COVID, but Bostonโs dim sum scene is SO back. And to prove it, writers at the Globe tried โ and rated โ some of the cityโs best. Spoiler: Mingโs Seafood and Sun Kong came out on top. Check out the whole list here.
๐ Whatโs on tap today:
Regular MBTA service? IDK her.
Bostonโs next mayor?
Dunkinโs wicked lahhhge
Up firstโฆ
ALTERNATIVE TRANSIT
Uber for the girls

Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Letโs be real: For many women and people of color, rideshare apps can beย scary. And Bostonโs lack of late-night transit doesnโt often leave folks with many other options. But one local company is looking to change that.
Enter: DrivHer, a new rideshare service that promises a safer, more comfortable ride for all. Hereโs what you need to know:
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ The issue of safety in rideshares is no joke. Stories from passengers and drivers alike paint a grim picture, and the data from prior years show that Uber and Lyft passengers have reported thousands of sexual and physical assaults. While new features like Lyftโs Women+ Connect or Uberโs new โemergency buttonโ are meant to address these problems, โthe app can only control for so much,โ said Tracey E. Vitchers, executive director of Itโs On Us, a sexual assault prevention nonprofit. Thatโs why the problem wonโt be solved without investment in changing attitudes and behavior as well.
๐ DrivHer was born as a solution. When Lais Fortaleza, DrivHerโs CEO and founder, drove for Lyft, she noticed a pattern of relief when she picked up female, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQ+ passengers: โThey would come in and say, โOh my God, I was so thankful, so relieved when I saw your picture,โโ she said, โand I thought to myself, โit shouldn't be a matter of being thankful.โโ Fortuleza said safety for all DrivHer riders is her No. 1 priority. She said the main difference between DrivHer and larger rideshare companies is a more stringent hiring process for drivers, plus added comfort in the form of transparent pricing, and free snacks and drinks.
๐บ But make no mistake, DrivHer isnโt exclusive. In fact, if it were to offer its services solely to women (as some local companies have tried in the past), that probably wouldnโt hold up in court, according to Joseph L. Sulman, a local employment lawyer. Thatโs due to laws that say places of public accommodation (including rideshares) generally need to be free and open to customers and employees of all races and genders. But so long as a company is simply marketing their safer services to women, it shouldnโt be a violation of those laws, Sulman said.
๐ Our two cents? The vibes are as advertised. On our ride, the driver went out of her way to create a friendly environment. TBH, we felt considerably more comfortable than in the average Uber or Lyft, and at a similar price point (though itโll depend on the time of day) โ our driver even offered us a free gourmet doughnut. That said, itโs a small company, so booking trips, especially if theyโre last minute, will be a much bigger to-do. But for a late night or particularly long drive, weโd wholeheartedly recommend it.ย
QUICK QUESTION
๐ How much do you use Uber and/or Lyft?
Let us know below!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Ben Curtis/Associated Press
๐ Some Harvard pro-Palestinian protestors wonโt get their diploma. Harvard's top governing board rejected a faculty recommendation that wouldโve allowed 13 students who were punished for participating in their encampment to graduate today. The students, who are either on probation or suspension, will still be able to participate in the graduation ceremonies but without actually receiving their diploma. In a statement, Harvard cited a handbook policy. The school also faces pressure from โconservative politicians, donors, students, and alumni who support Israel,โ according to The Boston Globe.
๐ Regular MBTA service? I donโt know her. Itโs been four years since the MBTA first slashed transit service in response to COVID, but on most buses and subway lines, that service has yet to be fully restored. By now, most subway trains were supposed to be running close to every three to four minutes (which anyone whoโs taken the T recently knows thatโs far from reality). On the Red Line and D Branch of the Green Line, riders still see 23% to 35% fewer weekday trips. Why? The reasons are varied, from a lack of drivers to a lack of train cars, but one thing is for sure: The bad service is keeping ridership down.
๐ Rumors are swirling about Bostonโs next mayoral race. Josh Kraft, son of billionaire Pats owner Robert Kraft, may be coming for Mayor Michelle Wuโs job in 2025. And though Mayor Wu has yet to announce her candidacy for the next election cycle, that hasnโt stopped the rumor mill from churning about Kraft. Despite having been active in Bostonโs philanthropy scene as president of the New England Patriots Foundation, the Globe wrote that unseating Wu would be an โuphill battle.โ
๐ธ The Killers are going for a doubleheader. You mightโve heard that the rock band, responsible for earworms like โMr. Brightside,โ is headlining day three of Boston Calling. But as of Wednesday, theyโre also playing a pop-up show at Paradise Rock Club on Saturday night. With a venue capacity of just 993 people, this could be a truly unique โ not to mention probably less expensive โ opportunity to see the band in a more intimate setting. Tickets are going on sale at 10 a.m. Friday here.
ONE LAST THING
A wicked lahhhge coffee

Illustration: Emily Schario
If youโve ever finished an XL Dunkinโ coffee and thought โI could go for anotherโ โฆ may we present: The new 40-ounce โwicked lahhhgeโ tumbler Dunkinโ launched for Memorial Day weekend.ย
The tumbler, which is about equivalent to the size of a classic Stanley cup, is 60% larger than Dunkinโs XL size, and, if filled with Dunkin's iced coffee, should equate to about 497 milligrams of caffeine, per Dunkinโs info.
For those of you keeping score, thatโs both 97 milligrams over the FDAโs recommendation for a daily dose and 107 milligrams more than an infamous large Panera charged lemonade.
Now, thatโs not to say that housing a wicked lahhhge iced coffee would cause you to go into cardiac arrest, but if you get one,ย just donโt say we didnโt warn you.
โ Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
โ Thanks for reading! IDK how you guys do it. Iโm getting shaky by coffee No. 2.
โ๏ธ The results are in: While 49% of B-Side readers are staying home for MDW, most of you who wrote in are hitting the road, with lots of Boston Calling attendees and beachgoers. One reader said theyโre: โHitting the Cape like the basic white b**** that I am.โ
๐ Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].