Bus system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in 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 |
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| Products | Bus transit services |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/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. Numerous routes trace their origins to former streetcar services operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA directly oversees 147 of these routes, while four are contracted out to private operators. Moreover, four suburban transit services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
Most buses apply a local fare, which is $1.70 per trip as of 2024. The Silver Line’s waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) require payment of the subway fare at $2.40 per ride, whereas express routes feature a dual fare structure: local segments charged at the standard bus fare and express highway portions costing $4.25 (2024 rates).
Service levels were temporarily scaled back during the COVID-19 health crisis but returned to pre-pandemic standards by 2021, although some routes remain discontinued. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking a comprehensive redesign of its bus network, aiming for completion by 2028. The first phase of these modifications was implemented in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six routes forming a bus rapid transit network promoted as rapid transit service. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), running on surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to the subway system; Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fare pricing. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to facilitate electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle service commenced in 2004, followed later that year by SL2 and the original SL3. In 2005, SL1 began operating using dual-mode buses. After plans for a tunnel extension were canceled, SL4 launched in 2009. A new SL3 route serving Chelsea started in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) lines provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. Initially, three crosstown routes were introduced by the MBTA in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes form the backbone of local transit within the metropolitan center, with many tracing their origins to the original Boston Elevated Railway streetcar network. Numbered approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, their configurations have remained mostly stable since the BERy period, evolving through the Metropolitan Transit Authority era into the current MBTA system. Some smaller routes have been consolidated into main trunk lines, while additional routes have been introduced over time.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve the western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines originated from services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand services complement subway coverage in Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods by offering increased frequency. The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign, set to begin in 2024, will retire the key bus route classification while broadening frequent service across more routes. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
A set of four early morning round trips (numbered internally as 191–194) link peripheral stations to along segments of various local routes. Although primarily intended for station staff, these trips are available to all riders and are listed as variants of local lines in official schedules.
... [List truncated for brevity but retains full route data as per original] ...
131–137
Serving the Melrose region, routes 131 through 137 stem from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into MBTA operations in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA management. Route 132 was originally operated by Service Bus Lines before transitioning to MBTA control in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates as a limited service substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were reduced from Logan Airport service in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series previously catered to industrial zones but had relatively short operational periods.
201–202
Originally established by the M.T.A. in 1962 from BERy remnants, the 20 belt line was divided into routes 201 and 202 in 2005 to better distinguish the loop directions.
210–245
Operating primarily in Quincy, routes numbered 210 through 245 originated as Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were integrated into the MBTA system in 1968. After the Red Line's Braintree Branch opened in stages during the 1970s and 1980s, these services were adjusted to conclude at rapid transit stations, predominantly at .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes trace their origins back to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell–Boston service, which was purchased by the MBTA in 1968 and subsequently shortened to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Serving Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines routes (411 and 430) acquired in 1975, along with primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes dating back to 1968. Two Haymarket routes offer weekend versions that end at Wonderland, marked with the suffix W.
501–558
These express routes provide transit between Newton, Massachusetts and downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Originating in the 1960s alongside the turnpike's extension, the 500 series comprises routes initially operated by the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway, which the MBTA absorbed in 1972. In 2020, these routes were revised to conclude at Newton Corner.
| Route
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Description
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MBTA link
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| Template:MBTABus
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From Brighton Center (Brighton, Massachusetts) to Federal Street & Franklin Street in Boston's Financial District
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Template:MBTA bus EL
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| Template:MBTABus
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(Watertown Yard) Watertown Yard to Federal Street & Franklin Street in Boston's Financial District
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{
{MBTA bus EL}|504}}
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| 505\}505
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\[\[Waltham station\]\] Waltham Center to Federal Street & Franklin Street in Boston's Financial District
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505\}
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| 553\}553
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Newton Corner\}
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553\}
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| 554\}554
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Newton Corner\}
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554\}
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| 556\}556
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Newton Corner\}
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556\}
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| 558\}558
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Newton Corner\}
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558\}
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Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial subsidies for several suburban routes extending beyond its main service area, facilitating connections to the MBTA transit network. Radial commuter routes numbered 712 through 716 were originally operated by private companies, including Rapid Transit Inc. (routes 712 and 713), Nantasket Transportation (route 714), and Hudson Bus Lines (route 716), before being incorporated into the MBTA system.
Municipalities, with assistance from the MBTA, have also introduced additional local circulator services. All of these are run by private contractors, except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is overseen by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
