Bus system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in 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 region, Massachusetts |
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| Products | Bus transit services including local, express, and bus rapid transit (Silver Line) |
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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, all of which provide connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus services. The majority of these routes trace their origins to historic streetcar lines once operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or suburban transit firms such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Out of the total, the MBTA directly oversees 147 routes, while four are contracted out to private operators; additionally, four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, local bus fares are set at $1.70 per one-way trip, whereas the Silver Line waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express bus services charge a local fare for their initial segments and an express fare of $4.25 for travel on highways.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were reduced or rerouted but returned to pre-pandemic standards by 2021, although some routes have yet to resume operation. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking an extensive redesign of its bus network with a target completion date in 2028; preliminary modifications commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is composed of six routes functioning as a bus rapid transit system and promoted as rapid transit. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which travels through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), which operates on surface streets. The Waterfront routes require passengers to pay subway fares, while Washington Street routes utilize standard bus fares. All vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; Waterfront routes use hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacities to enable electric operation within tunnels.
Service SL5 was introduced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle began operating in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 in the same year; SL1 commenced in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. After cancellation of the Phase III tunnel project, SL4 started service in 2009. A new SL3 route extending to Chelsea was launched in 2018.
Crosstown
The two existing crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop connections between key subway and bus transfer hubs. Initially, three crosstown routes were established by the MBTA in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
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1–121
These lines deliver almost all local transit within the metropolitan center; the majority originated as streetcar routes under the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, they serve neighborhoods stretching from South Boston through East Boston. The BERy was consolidated into the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1947, which later transitioned into the MBTA in 1964. Although there have been some consolidations and route additions, the primary network has largely been preserved.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —connect to western suburban areas such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines trace their origins to services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were reassigned numbers previously unused.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , among others—were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand corridors complement the subway by offering frequent service to Boston’s most densely populated districts. Starting in 2024, the MBTA is retiring the "key bus route" label in favor of a broader frequent route network. Routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips (191–194) operate between outlying stations and over segments of various local routes. Designed primarily for station agents but accessible to all riders, these trips are listed as variants of local routes in official schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve Melrose and are derived 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 originally operated under Service Bus Lines before MBTA took over in 1975.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-lived services catering to industrial zones.
201–202
Originally formed in 1962 by the M.T.A. from BERY's 20 and 21 stubs, the 20 belt route was renumbered as routes 201 and 202 in 2005 to better indicate the direction of each loop.
210–245
Operating primarily in Quincy, routes numbered 210 through 245 trace their origins to Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines acquired by the MBTA in 1968. With the phased introduction of the Red Line Braintree Branch throughout the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to conclude at rapid transit stations, predominantly .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes descend from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell–Boston corridor, which was acquired by the MBTA in 1968 and subsequently shortened to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Covering Lynn and the North Shore region, these routes incorporate former Service Bus Lines (411, 430) obtained in 1975 along with lines from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway dating back to 1968. Weekend short-turn services, indicated by the W suffix, conclude their trips at Wonderland station.
501–558
These services offer express connections between Newton, Massachusetts and downtown Boston utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA introduced the 500 series during the 1960s to take advantage of the turnpike's extension into Boston. The 550 series originated from routes of the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway leading to Newton Corner station, which were extended downtown in the 1960s and incorporated into the MBTA in 1972; however, they were shortened back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial subsidies for several suburban bus lines beyond its primary service zones that connect to MBTA transit. Routes 712 through 716 are radial commuter lines originally operated by private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. (712 and 713), Nantasket Transportation (714), and Hudson Bus Lines (716).
Local circulator services without route numbers have been established by municipalities with some financial support from the MBTA. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these routes are run by private contractors.
