Bus network operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Network| 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 services, including local bus routes, express buses, and Silver Line BRT |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
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| Website | mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) manages a bus network comprising 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region in Massachusetts. These bus lines provide connections to the MBTA subway system, commuter rail services, and additional MBTA bus routes. Many of the current routes have origins tracing back to former streetcar lines or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. Of these routes, the MBTA directly operates 147, while four are managed by private contractors. Additionally, four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the local bus fare is set at $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes—SL1, SL2, SL3, and SLW—charge the higher subway fare of $2.40. Express buses apply a dual fare system: passengers pay the local fare for segments within city limits and $4.25 for express segments utilizing highways.
Bus services experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but were restored to pre-pandemic levels by 2021, although some routes were eliminated. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking an extensive redesign of its bus network, with full implementation anticipated by 2028; initial modifications commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system consisting of six routes and is promoted as a rapid transit option. It features two primary branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel and charges subway fares; and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), which runs on surface streets with standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length. The Waterfront fleet includes hybrid buses equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route replaced the Washington Street Elevated train line in 2002. The Silver Line Shuttle began operations in 2004, followed by the introduction of SL2 and the original SL3 in the same year. The SL1 route started service in 2005 using dual-mode buses. In 2009, SL4 was launched after plans for a Phase III tunnel were canceled. A new SL3 route serving Chelsea was introduced in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) bus routes that provide limited-stop service to link key subway stations and major bus transfer points. Initially, three crosstown routes were introduced in 1994; however, CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes constitute nearly all local transit within the metropolitan center, many of which originate from former Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from southeast to northeast, this network has largely preserved its original structure since the BERy period, notwithstanding minor consolidations and additions during the M.T.A. and MBTA eras.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve the outer western suburbs such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These were acquired in 1972 when the MBTA took over Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes. These high-ridership corridors complement the subway system by providing frequent connections to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. Starting in 2024, the MBTA's Bus Network Redesign is phasing out the key bus route classification in favor of an expanded network of frequent routes. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
A set of four early-morning round trips (191–194) link outlying stations to , primarily intended for station staff but accessible to all riders.
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131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 provide service to the Melrose vicinity, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended briefly to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA administration. Route 132 began as a Service Bus Lines route before transitioning to MBTA operation in 1975.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 service that was truncated from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series provided brief industrial area transit services.
201–202
The 20 belt route was established by the M.T.A. in 1962 based on legacy BERy routes. In 2005, it was rebranded as routes 201 and 202 to distinguish loop directions more clearly.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 primarily operate within the Quincy, Massachusetts vicinity. These services trace their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were integrated into the MBTA system in 1968. With the gradual inauguration of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these bus routes were restructured to conclude at rapid transit hubs, predominantly at .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, routes 350 through 354 originate from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell–Boston corridor. The MBTA assumed control of these lines in 1968, subsequently truncating the route to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Operating throughout Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines routes (notably 411 and 430), which were incorporated into the MBTA network in 1975. Additionally, most lines stem from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway services acquired in 1968. Two Haymarket-bound routes provide weekend short-turn options (denoted with a W suffix) that terminate at Wonderland.
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501–558
These express bus routes provide direct service between Newton and downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA launched the 500 series in the 1960s to take advantage of the newly extended turnpike. The 550 routes trace their origins to the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner, which were extended into downtown Boston during the 1960s and later incorporated into the MBTA network in 1972. In 2020, these routes were shortened to terminate again at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban routes located beyond its central service area that link with MBTA transit options. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are radial commuter lines formerly operated by private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. runs routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operates route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines manages route 716.
Routes without numerical designations serve as local circulators established by municipalities and receive some MBTA subsidies. Except for the Beverly Shuttle—which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority—all these services are privately managed under contract.
| Route
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Description
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Operator
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|'BED' Bedford Local Transit |Town of Bedford
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|'BEV' City of Beverly Shuttle |CATA
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|'LEX' Lexington Lexpress (4 routes) |Town of Lexington
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|'MIS' Mission Hill LINK |Volunteers
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External links
