MBTA Bus Division| Company type | Division |
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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 routes and services, including 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 MBTA bus division under the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 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. Many of these routes trace their origins back to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway and suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. Out of the total, 147 routes are directly operated by the MBTA, while four are managed by private contractors. In addition, four suburban services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
The typical local fare for most buses is $1.70 as of 2024. The Silver Line's waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express bus services apply a two-tier fare system: a local segment costs $1.70, and the express portion into downtown Boston is priced at $4.25.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service frequencies were scaled back but were reinstated to pre-pandemic levels by 2021, although some routes were eliminated. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing an extensive bus network redesign expected to conclude by 2028, with initial modifications commencing in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six bus rapid transit (BRT) routes promoted as a rapid transit option. It consists of two main segments: the Waterfront branch (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street branch (SL4, SL5), which runs on surface streets. Waterfront routes require payment of subway fares, whereas Washington Street routes charge standard bus fares. All Silver Line buses are articulated 60-foot vehicles; those on the Waterfront routes utilize hybrid buses equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within the tunnel.
The SL5 route replaced the Washington Street Elevated line in 2002. The Shuttle service started in 2004, followed by SL2 and SL3 also launching that year; SL1 began in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. After cancellation of the Phase III tunnel project, SL4 was introduced in 2009. A new SL3 extension serving Chelsea opened in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes that provide limited-stop service linking key subway and bus transfer hubs. Initially launched with three crosstown lines in 1994, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes encompass nearly all local transit within the metropolitan center and mostly originated as streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, these routes have largely persisted since the BERy period, with only minor consolidations and additions during the M.T.A. and MBTA administrations.
A group of seven routes—, , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines stem from services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously retired.
Fourteen routes—, , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes in 2004. Representing the system’s highest ridership corridors, they provide frequent connections supplementing the subway to the most densely populated urban zones. The MBTA’s 2024 Bus Network Redesign is gradually replacing this classification with a broader frequent service network. Routes 28 and 39 operate using 60-foot articulated buses.
There are four early morning round trips running between outlying stations and , primarily intended for station staff but available to all riders. These trips carry internal route numbers 191–194 and are listed as local route variants in official schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose vicinity, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that joined the MBTA network in 1968. The now-defunct route 136 and route 137 briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence under MBTA management. Route 132 initially belonged to Service Bus Lines before MBTA took over operations in 1975.
171
Route 171 offers limited early morning service connecting Logan Airport terminals with , succeeding the discontinued CT3 route that was shortened in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were brief services catering to industrial zones.
201–202
The former route 20 belt line, formed by M.T.A. in 1962 from truncated segments of BERy’s routes 20 and 21, was renumbered in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish loop directions around Fields Corner.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 operate within the Quincy region and trace their origins to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that the MBTA took over in 1968. With the gradual inauguration of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these bus routes were adjusted to end at rapid transit stations, predominantly at .
350–354
These routes cover the Burlington and Woburn regions and stem from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell to Boston line, which was acquired entirely by the MBTA in 1968 before being shortened to end in Burlington.
411–465
Serving Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes include former Service Bus Lines (such as 411 and 430) acquired in 1975, along with other lines inherited from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway in 1968. Weekend short-turn services, identified by a W suffix, conclude at Wonderland station.
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501–558
These express bus routes provide a connection between Newton and downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA launched the 500 series during the 1960s to take advantage of the newly extended turnpike. The 550 series has its origins in former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner, which were extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s and incorporated into the MBTA network in 1972; however, these routes were shortened back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban routes that operate outside its primary service area but connect with MBTA transit options. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are radial commuter lines formerly operated by private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. manages routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operates route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines runs route 716.
Unnumbered routes function as local circulators initiated by municipalities with partial MBTA financial support. Except for the Beverly Shuttle—which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority—all these services are operated under private contracts.
Privately Managed Routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban commuter lines that extend beyond its main network and connect with MBTA services. Routes 712 through 716 were originally operated by private companies and later acquired: Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operated route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines ran route 716.
Municipalities have also established local circulator routes, which receive partial subsidies from the MBTA. These services are generally contracted to private operators, with the exception of the Beverly Shuttle, which is run by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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