Bus network operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Network| File:MBTA logo.svg MBTA logo |
| Company type | Public transit agency |
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| Industry | Public transportation |
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| Founded | 1964; 62 years ago (1964) |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan region |
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| Products | Bus services, Bus rapid transit (Silver Line) |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
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| Website | mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus network encompasses 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region, all of which provide connections to the MBTA subway system, Commuter Rail lines, or other MBTA bus services. Many of these routes have historical origins tracing back to the Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines or former suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA operates 147 of these routes directly, while four are managed by private contractors, and an additional four suburban routes receive partial MBTA funding.
As of 2024, the standard fare for local bus travel is $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) require a higher fare equivalent to the subway price of $2.40. Express bus services apply a two-tiered fare structure: $1.70 for the local portion and $4.25 for the express highway segment.
Bus operations experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but had largely returned to pre-pandemic service levels by 2021, although some routes remain suspended. Since 2018, the MBTA has been engaged in an extensive redesign of its bus network, aiming for full deployment by 2028. The initial phase of this overhaul commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line constitutes a six-route bus rapid transit (BRT) system marketed as rapid transit. It operates two main branches: the Waterfront service, which includes SL1, SL2, SL3, and a rush-hour shuttle SLW utilizing the South Boston Transitway tunnel; and the Washington Street service, consisting of SL4 and SL5 running on surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares consistent with the subway system, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fare levels. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes employ hybrid technology with extended electric capabilities to accommodate tunnel travel.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The Shuttle service began operations in 2004, followed by the launch of SL2 and the original SL3 also in 2004, with SL1 starting in 2005 using dual-mode buses. After plans for a tunnel extension were canceled, SL4 commenced service in 2009. A new SL3 route extending to Chelsea was inaugurated in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes providing limited-stop service that links key subway stations and major bus transfer points. Initially introduced in 1994 with three routes under the MBTA’s crosstown program, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These lines cover almost all local transit within the metropolitan center, with most having their origins as streetcar routes operated by the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged approximately in a clockwise manner from the southeast to the northeast, these routes have largely remained consistent since the BERy period, despite some consolidations and expansions under the Metropolitan Transit Authority and subsequently the MBTA.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes descend from services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers that had been previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were designated as key bus routes. These heavily used lines complement subway service by delivering frequent transit to the most densely populated urban neighborhoods. The MBTA's Bus Network Redesign, beginning in 2024, is eliminating the key route classification while broadening the network of frequent service routes. Routes 28 and 39 operate using 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round-trip services (numbered 191–194) run between outlying stations and along segments of various local routes. Though primarily intended for station agents, these trips are available to all riders and appear as variants of regular local routes in published schedules.
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131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve Melrose and its vicinity, tracing their lineage back to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed into the MBTA system in 1968. The now-discontinued route 136 and current route 137 once extended briefly to Lowell and Lawrence under MBTA operation. Initially, route 132 was run by Service Bus Lines before MBTA assumed control in 1975.
171
Route 171 provides limited service as a substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were curtailed from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series previously served industrial districts but generally had short operational spans.
201–202
Originally established in 1962 by the M.T.A. as the 20 belt route from BERy’s former lines, this service was reorganized in 2005 into two separate routes, 201 and 202, to provide clearer directional guidance around the Fields Corner Loop.
210–245
Serving the Quincy region, routes numbered 210 through 245 trace their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA in 1968. Following the gradual introduction of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to end at rapid transit stations, mainly at .
350–354
Covering the Burlington and Woburn locales, these routes descend from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell to Boston line, which was transferred to the MBTA in 1968 and subsequently shortened to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Serving Lynn and the North Shore region, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines routes (411 and 430, acquired in 1975) along with primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes obtained in 1968. Weekend short-turn versions, identified by a W suffix, conclude their trips at Wonderland station.
501–558
These express routes operate between Newton, Massachusetts and downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA inaugurated the 500 series in the 1960s to capitalize on the new turnpike extension reaching Boston. The 550 series originated as Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner station, later extended downtown during the 1960s and assumed by the MBTA in 1972. In 2020, these were truncated back to Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
Certain suburban routes beyond the MBTA’s primary network receive partial funding from the MBTA to facilitate connections with its transit system. The radial commuter lines numbered 712 through 716 were originally owned by private carriers—Rapid Transit Inc. operated routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation managed route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines ran route 716 before these were integrated.
Local circulator services without route numbers are established by local governments and benefit from some MBTA financial support. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are run by private contractors.
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