Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Division| Company type | Public transit agency division |
|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
|---|
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
|---|
Area served | Boston metropolitan region, Massachusetts |
|---|
| Products | Bus transit services, including local bus routes, express buses, and Silver Line BRT |
|---|
| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
|---|
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus division manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region in Massachusetts. Each route connects with either the MBTA subway system, the MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. A majority of these routes originate from former streetcar corridors operated by the Boston Elevated Railway and suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. Of these routes, the MBTA directly oversees 147, while four are run by private contractors, and an additional four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the standard fare for local bus trips is $1.70 per ride. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge a fare equivalent to the subway price of $2.40. Express buses apply a two-tier fare: local segments cost the regular local fare, while express highway portions require a $4.25 fare.
Service frequency, which had been scaled back during the COVID-19 pandemic, was restored to pre-pandemic levels by 2021; however, some routes remain temporarily inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing a comprehensive redesign of its bus network, with completion targeted for 2028. Initial modifications began rolling out in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six routes operating as a bus rapid transit (BRT) system promoted as rapid transit service. It features two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which runs through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), which travels on surface streets along Washington Street. Waterfront routes charge fares consistent with subway pricing, whereas Washington Street routes apply standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; Waterfront routes utilize hybrid buses equipped with extended electric capabilities to operate within tunnels.
The SL5 route began service in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The Shuttle commenced operations in 2004, followed later that year by SL2 and SL3 services. The SL1 route launched in 2005 employing dual-mode buses. After the cancellation of Phase III of the tunnel project, the SL4 started running in 2009. A new SL3 extension reaching Chelsea was introduced in 2018.
Crosstown
Two crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop service designed to link major subway stations and bus transfer hubs efficiently. When first introduced in 1994, there were three crosstown lines; however, CT1 was consolidated into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes form the backbone of local transit within the metropolitan core, with many tracing their origins back to Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, these routes have largely preserved their original configurations since the BERy period, despite subsequent consolidations and expansions under the M.T.A. and MBTA.
A group of seven routes – , , , , , , and – serve the western suburban areas such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines originated from the 1972 takeover of Middlesex and Boston Street Railway services and were later renumbered using previously retired route numbers.
In 2004, fourteen routes – , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes due to their high ridership levels. These routes complement the subway system by offering frequent service in the most densely populated urban neighborhoods. The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign, which began in 2024, is gradually replacing this classification with a more comprehensive frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips (191–194) provide connections from outlying stations to via multiple local bus lines. Although primarily intended for station personnel, these trips are open to all riders and are listed as variations of local routes in published schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose vicinity, having originated from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. The now-discontinued routes 136 and 137 once extended service briefly to Lowell and Lawrence, their original endpoints. Route 132 was added to the MBTA's portfolio in 1975 after previously being managed by Service Bus Lines.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited early morning service that replaced the CT3 route following its reduction from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes within the 170 series have historically provided temporary service to industrial districts.
201–202
The former 20 belt route, created by the M.T.A. in 1962 from BERy heritage lines, was redesignated as routes 201 and 202 in 2005 to better indicate loop direction.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 predominantly operate within the Quincy region and trace their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines, which were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. After the Red Line Braintree Branch opened in stages during 1971 and throughout the 1980s, these services were adjusted to conclude at rapid transit stations such as , thereby improving connections between bus and subway networks.
350–354
Operating mainly in the Burlington and Woburn locales, routes 350 to 354 originate from the Lowell–Boston corridor once managed by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. This line was absorbed by the MBTA in 1968 and subsequently shortened to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Operating within Lynn and the North Shore region, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines routes (411 and 430) acquired in 1975, along with lines from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway dating back to 1968. On weekends, abbreviated route versions featuring a W suffix conclude their trips at Wonderland station.
|- | 451
|'North Beverly station' to 'Salem Depot'
|minimized
|}
|- | 455
|'Salem Depot' to Wonderland station
|minimized
|}
|- | 456
|'Salem Depot' to Central Square, Lynn
|minimized
|}
}
501–558
These express services provide connections between Newton and downtown Boston by way of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA launched the 500-series routes during the 1960s in response to the turnpike's extension reaching Boston. Routes in the 550 series originated from Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner, which were extended downtown in the 1960s and later integrated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, these services were shortened back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for certain suburban bus lines beyond its primary service boundaries that connect to the MBTA transit network. Routes 712 through 716 are commuter services formerly managed by private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. (712/713), Nantasket Transportation (714), and Hudson Bus Lines (716).
Routes without numerical designations function as local circulators established by municipalities with some MBTA financial support. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is overseen by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are run by private contractors.
