Bus system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus System| Company type | Public transit system |
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| Industry | Public transportation |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan region |
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| Products | Bus transit services, including local, express, Silver Line BRT |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus system manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region, all of which provide connections to MBTA subway lines, Commuter Rail services, or other bus routes. A majority of these routes have origins tracing back to former streetcar lines or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The MBTA operates 147 of these routes directly, while four are managed by private contractors; additionally, four suburban routes receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
As of 2024, local bus rides cost $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the subway fare rate of $2.40. Express buses charge $4.25 for travel along highway segments, with the local sections priced at the standard bus fare.
Bus service experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but was mostly reinstated by 2021, although some routes have yet to resume operations. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking a comprehensive redesign of its bus network aimed at enhancing service frequency and improving connectivity; this overhaul is anticipated to be fully completed by 2028. The initial phase was rolled out in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six bus rapid transit routes promoted as a rapid transit option. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront segment (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the SLW shuttle during peak hours), which travels through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street segment (SL4 and SL5), which operates on surface streets. Waterfront routes require payment of the subway fare, whereas Washington Street routes charge the regular bus fare. All Silver Line buses are articulated and measure 60 feet in length; those on the Waterfront branch are hybrid vehicles equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route replaced the Washington Street Elevated line in 2002. The Shuttle service started in 2004, followed by SL2 and SL3 later that year; SL1 commenced in 2005 using dual-mode buses. After a planned tunnel extension was canceled, SL4 began service in 2009. A new SL3 route connecting Chelsea was introduced in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) lines provide limited-stop service linking major subway stations and key bus transfer hubs. Originally, three crosstown routes were introduced by the MBTA in 1994; however, CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes encompass nearly all local transit within the metropolitan center, many tracing their origins to Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Numbered approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, their primary network has remained largely consistent since the BERy period, despite various mergers and expansions during the M.T.A. and MBTA eras.
Seven routes – , , , , , , and – serve western suburban communities including Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines originated from the acquisition of former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes – such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes. These high-ridership corridors complement the subway by delivering frequent service to Boston's most densely populated neighborhoods. Beginning in 2024, the MBTA is phasing out the key route classification through its Bus Network Redesign initiative, which aims to broaden the network of frequent service routes. Routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips (191–194) operate between outlying stations and over segments of several local routes. Primarily intended for station staff but available to all riders, these trips are listed as variants of local routes in schedules.
131–137
Serving the Melrose region, routes 131 through 137 derive from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended briefly to Lowell and Lawrence, their original endpoints. Route 132 was incorporated into the MBTA network in 1975 after being operated by Service Bus Lines.
171
Route 171 provides limited early morning service, replacing the former CT3 route that was shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes numbered in the 170s were brief industrial shuttle services.
201–202
The number 20 belt route was established by the M.T.A. in 1962 by combining BERy’s routes 20 and 21; it was renumbered in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to distinguish loop directions around Fields Corner.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 operate within the Quincy area, originally part of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway network taken over by the MBTA in 1968. With the gradual introduction of the Red Line Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these lines were adjusted to end at rapid transit stations, mainly at .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes trace their origins to the Lowell–Boston line of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The MBTA acquired this corridor in its entirety in 1968 but soon shortened it to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Operating primarily across Lynn and the North Shore, these routes include two with weekend short-turn services (indicated by a W suffix) that terminate at Wonderland station. The 411 and 430 lines originated from Service Bus Lines acquisitions in 1975, while the remainder descend from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes taken over in 1968.
501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston, traveling along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Introduced by the MBTA during the 1960s, the 500 series was designed to utilize the turnpike's extension into Boston. The 550 series evolved from former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes that originally served Newton Corner and were extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s before being incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, these routes were shortened back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban routes beyond its central service region that link to MBTA transit services. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are radial commuter lines that were acquired from private companies—specifically Rapid Transit Inc. for routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation for route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines for route 716.
Routes without numerical designations serve as local circulators initiated by municipalities and receive partial subsidies from the MBTA. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are operated by private contractors.
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