Bus system serving the Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus system| Company type | Public transit agency |
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| Industry | Public transportation |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan area, Massachusetts |
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| Products | Bus transit services, including Silver Line BRT |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/schedules/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus system manages 151 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. A majority of these routes trace their origins to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or suburban transit firms such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA directly oversees 147 of these routes, while four are run by private contractors. Additionally, four suburban services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the standard fare for local bus rides is $1.70 per trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the subway fare of $2.40. Express bus services charge $1.70 for local sections, with an additional $4.25 fee for express travel into downtown Boston.
Bus operations were scaled back during the COVID-19 crisis but were restored to their previous service levels by 2021; however, some routes have been permanently discontinued. Since 2018, the MBTA has embarked on a comprehensive redesign of its bus network, targeting full implementation by 2028, with initial adjustments introduced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line consists of six routes operating as a bus rapid transit network promoted as a rapid transit alternative. It features two main segments: the Waterfront branch (SL1, SL2, SL3, plus the rush-hour SLW shuttle) which runs through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street branch (SL4, SL5) that travels on surface streets. Waterfront services charge fares equivalent to the subway, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus pricing. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; those on the Waterfront branch are hybrids equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 as a successor to the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle service started in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 also in 2004, then SL1 in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. The SL4 route began service in 2009 after plans for Phase III tunnel construction were canceled. A new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea commenced in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes that provide limited-stop transit service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer points. Initially launched in 1994 with three routes, one of them—CT1—was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes form the backbone of local transit within the metropolitan downtown area, many originating from historic Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged roughly in a clockwise pattern from the southeast to the northeast, this system has largely preserved its original structure since the BERy period, despite undergoing some consolidations and expansions during the Metropolitan Transit Authority and MBTA administrations.
Seven routes – , , , , , , and – cover western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes trace their lineage to 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-ridership lines provide frequent service to complement the subway network within the city's most densely populated neighborhoods. The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign initiative launching in 2024 is gradually eliminating the key route classification while broadening the frequent service network. Routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
A set of four early morning round trips link outlying stations to by traversing sections of various local routes. Though primarily intended for station staff, these trips are accessible to all riders. Internally designated as 191–194, they appear publicly as variants of local routes.
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131–137
Serving the Melrose vicinity, routes 131 through 137 derive from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed by the MBTA in 1968. The now-discontinued route 136 and route 137 briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence under MBTA management. Route 132 was once operated by Service Bus Lines before its integration into the MBTA system in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 trips, having been truncated from Logan Airport in 2002. The 170-series previously included short-lived routes serving industrial zones.
201–202
Originating from BERy’s belt line services, the M.T.A. created the 20 belt route in 1962; it was renumbered in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to distinctly represent clockwise and counterclockwise loop directions.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 serve the Quincy region and trace their origins to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were integrated into the MBTA in 1968. Following the gradual introduction of the Red Line Braintree Branch throughout the 1970s and 1980s, these bus routes were adjusted to conclude at rapid transit stations, most notably .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these lines originated from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell to Boston corridor, which the MBTA acquired in 1968 and subsequently shortened to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Operating throughout Lynn and the North Shore areas, these routes include former Service Bus Lines (routes 411 and 430 acquired in 1975) as well as Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines (acquired in 1968). Weekend short-turn variants, indicated by a W suffix, finish at Wonderland rather than Haymarket.
501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston, primarily using the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Originating in the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike extension, the 500 series incorporates former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes (the 550 series) that were extended into downtown Boston during that decade and later integrated into the MBTA system in 1972. In 2020, these routes were shortened to terminate at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban bus lines operating beyond its primary service boundaries that link with MBTA transit options. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are radial commuter services formerly managed by private companies—Rapid Transit Inc. for routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation for 714, and Hudson Bus Lines for 716. Local circulator routes without assigned numbers are established by municipalities with some MBTA financial support. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is run by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are operated under private contracts.
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