As of 2024, local bus rides cost $1.70 per trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express buses feature a two-tier fare system: passengers pay the local fare for the initial segment and $4.25 for the express highway portion.
Service experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but was mostly reinstated by 2021, though some lines remain suspended. Since 2018, the MBTA has been engaged in a comprehensive bus network overhaul scheduled for completion by 2028. The initial phase was implemented in December 2024 to enhance route frequency and improve network efficiency.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six routes operating as a bus rapid transit system branded as rapid transit service. It consists of two main segments: the Waterfront branch (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which runs through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street branch (SL4, SL5), which travels primarily on surface streets. Waterfront services charge fares equivalent to subway rates; Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; Waterfront routes specifically utilize hybrid buses equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 service commenced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated. The Silver Line Shuttle began operating in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 also starting that year; SL1 launched in 2005 with dual-mode buses capable of electric and diesel operation. The SL4 route started in 2009 after plans for Phase III tunnel expansion were canceled. A new SL3 route connecting Chelsea opened in 2018.
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The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) services that provide limited-stop connections between key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. Initially launched with three routes in 1994, one of them—CT1—was merged into route 1 in 2019.
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These routes cover almost the entire local transit service within the metropolitan center, with many originally established as Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged approximately in a clockwise manner from the southeast to the northeast, this network has largely persisted since the BERy period, adapting through changes under the Metropolitan Transit Authority and later the MBTA.
Seven routes—, , , , , , and —serve the western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines trace their origins to former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes that were incorporated in 1972.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand corridors provide frequent service that complements the subway system by connecting the most densely populated urban neighborhoods. The MBTA's Bus Network Redesign initiative beginning in 2024 will retire this classification while broadening the network of frequent services. Routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips (191–194) link peripheral stations to through various local routes. While primarily intended for station agents, these trips are accessible to all riders.
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[Note: The complete list continues similarly with route details and MBTA links.]
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve the Melrose region and originate from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines taken over by the MBTA in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended briefly to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA operation. Route 132 was initially operated by Service Bus Lines before joining the MBTA fleet in 1975.
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Route 171 functions as a limited early morning replacement for CT3 service following its reduction from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-term industrial shuttles.
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The original 20 belt route was created by M.T.A. in 1962 from BERy’s stub lines; it was rebranded in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to clarify their opposite loop directions around Fields Corner.
Routes numbered 210 through 245 operate within the Quincy, Massachusetts region, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that the MBTA incorporated in 1968. Following the gradual introduction of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these services were adjusted to primarily conclude at rapid transit stations such as .
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These routes cover the Burlington and Woburn areas, descending from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell–Boston line, which the MBTA took over in 1968 before later shortening the service to Burlington.
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Serving Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines paths (411 and 430) acquired in 1975, along with lines inherited from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway dating back to 1968. On weekends, shorter-turn services marked with a W suffix conclude at Wonderland rather than continuing to Haymarket.
Route
Description
MBTA link
|-
| 411
| Kennedy Drive or Jack Satter House–
|
|-
| 424
| Eastern Avenue & Essex Street–
|
|-
| 426
| Central Square, Lynn–
|
|-
| 426W
| Central Square, Lynn–Wonderland station
|
|-
| 428
| Oaklandvale–Haymarket station
|
|-
| 429
| Northgate Shopping Center–Central Square, Lynn
|
|-
| 430
| Saugus, Massachusetts#Saugus CenterSaugus Center–Malden Center station
|
|-
| 435
| Salem Depot–Central Square, Lynn via Peabody Square
|
|-
| 436
| Liberty Tree Mall–Central Square, Lynn via Goodwin Circle
|
|-
| 439
| Nahant, Massachusetts#NahantNahant–Wonderland station
|
|-
| 441
| Marblehead, Massachusetts#MarbleheadMarblehead–Wonderland station via Massachusetts Route 1A#Paradise RoadParadise Road
|
|-
| 442
| Marblehead – Wonderland station via Humphrey Street
|
|-
| 450
| Salem Depot –
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|
|-
| 450W
| Salem Depot – Wonderland station
|
|-
These express bus services link Newton with downtown Boston by way of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Originating in the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike's expansion, the 500-series routes include former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines (550 series) that were extended into downtown Boston and integrated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, in 2020 these were shortened to terminate at Newton Corner.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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|}
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban routes beyond its primary service zone that link with MBTA transit systems. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are radial commuter lines that were formerly run by private companies such as Rapid Transit Inc., Nantasket Transportation, and Hudson Bus Lines.
Non-numbered routes serve as local circulators initiated by municipalities and receive MBTA subsidies. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all of these routes are operated by private contractors.
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