Bus network operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus network| Company type | Public transit agency |
|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
|---|
| Founded | 1964 |
|---|
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
|---|
Area served | Boston metropolitan area |
|---|
| Products | Bus services, bus rapid transit (Silver Line) |
|---|
| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
|---|
| Website | mbta.com/bus |
|---|
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus network manages 151 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region, all linking to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. Many of these routes trace their origins to former streetcar corridors or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA directly operates 147 of these routes, while four are managed by private contractors. Additionally, there are four suburban routes partially subsidized by the MBTA.
For local bus travel in 2024, the one-way fare is $1.70. The Silver Line services along the waterfront (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) adhere to the subway fare of $2.40. Express buses feature both local and express segments, charging $1.70 for local travel and $4.25 for express trips into downtown Boston.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were curtailed but have mostly been reinstated by 2021, though a few routes remain on hold. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing a comprehensive bus network overhaul scheduled for completion by 2028, with initial modifications rolled out in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six distinct routes forming a bus rapid transit system promoted as rapid transit service. It divides into two segments: the Waterfront branch (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which operates via the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street branch (SL4, SL5), running on surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to the subway, whereas Washington Street routes use standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes are hybrid models capable of extended electric operation within tunnels.
In 2002, SL5 replaced the Washington Street Elevated rail line. The Shuttle service launched in 2004, followed by SL2 and SL3 later that year; SL1 began operations in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. After canceling a planned tunnel expansion, SL4 started service in 2009. A new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea was introduced in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA’s two crosstown (CT) services provide limited-stop connections linking key subway stations and bus transfer hubs. Initially launched in 1994 with three routes, one of them—route CT1—was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes make up nearly all local transit services within the metropolitan core and mostly trace their origins to Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Their numbering proceeds roughly clockwise from the southeast to the northeast—route 4 being the southernmost in South Boston, and route 121 the northernmost in East Boston. The central network has remained substantially consistent since the BERy period. The BERy was incorporated into the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1947, which later transformed into the MBTA in 1964. Although some smaller routes have merged into main trunk lines and new routes have been introduced, the original network framework persists.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —operate in western suburban areas such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines descend from services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand corridors complement the subway system by offering frequent service to the city’s most densely populated neighborhoods. Key routes generally maintain higher frequency than other lines. Beginning with the MBTA's Bus Network Redesign in 2024, the term "key routes" is being replaced by a broader classification of frequent routes. Notably, routes 28 and 39 operate with 60-foot articulated buses.
There are four early morning round trips running between outlying stations and over segments of several local routes. These trips primarily serve station agents but are available to all passengers; internally, they are numbered 191–194 but appear as variants of local routes on schedules.
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
...
(For brevity and business relevance, individual listing of all local routes omitted here; full details available via MBTA resources.)
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 provide service to the Melrose region, stemming from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA network in 1968. Previously discontinued route 136 and route 137 once extended briefly to their original endpoints in Lowell and Lawrence. Route 132 was originally operated by Service Bus Lines before coming under MBTA control in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates with limited service during early mornings, taking over the function of the CT3 route that was truncated from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were brief industrial shuttle services.
201–202
Originally part of the 20 belt route created by the M.T.A. in 1962 as a continuation of BERY’s former lines, this route was divided into 201 and 202 in 2005 to better distinguish the loop directions around Fields Corner.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 serve the Quincy vicinity and originate from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA network in 1968. With the gradual introduction of the Red Line Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to end at newly established rapid transit stations, mainly .
350–354
These lines operate within the Burlington and Woburn regions, originating from the Lowell–Boston corridor of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The MBTA took over these routes in 1968 and subsequently shortened the service to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Serving the Lynn area and North Shore, these routes incorporate former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Service Bus Lines services that the MBTA acquired in 1968 and 1975. Two Haymarket routes that run on weekends (designated with a W suffix) conclude their trips at Wonderland station.
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
| Route
|
Description
|
MBTA link
|
501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston, utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA launched the 500 series during the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike's extension into Boston. The 550 series has its origins in former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner, which were extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s and later incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972; these routes were truncated back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban transit lines beyond its primary service area that connect with MBTA facilities. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are radial commuter services previously operated by private companies—Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operated route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines ran route 716 before their acquisition.
Unnumbered routes function as local circulators created by municipalities and receive partial MBTA subsidies. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are privately managed under contract.
External links