Bus network operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Division| Company type | Public transit authority division |
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| Industry | Public transportation |
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| Headquarters | Boston metropolitan area , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan region |
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| Products | Bus transit services, including local, express, crosstown, and bus rapid transit (Silver Line) |
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| Parent | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/schedules/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus division manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region. Every route provides connections to MBTA subway lines, Commuter Rail services, or other bus routes. Many of these routes originated from historic streetcar operations or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts and Middlesex and Boston Street Railways. The MBTA operates 147 of these routes directly, while four are contracted out to private operators and an additional four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the fare for local bus rides is $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) require payment of the subway fare, which is $2.40. Express buses charge a local fare for the initial segment and an express fare of $4.25 for travel on highways.
Service experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but was restored to pre-pandemic levels by 2021; however, some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking an extensive redesign of its bus network, targeting completion by 2028, with initial modifications commencing in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line consists of six bus rapid transit routes promoted as rapid transit service. It is divided into two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour SLW shuttle), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), which runs along surface streets. The Waterfront lines charge fares equivalent to subway rates, whereas the Washington Street lines use standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are 60-foot articulated buses; those on the Waterfront routes are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route began service in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The Shuttle service started in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 also in 2004, and SL1 in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. After plans for a tunnel extension were canceled, SL4 commenced operations in 2009. A new SL3 route serving Chelsea was introduced in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes providing limited-stop service that links key subway stations and major bus transfer points. Initially launched with three routes in 1994, one of these—CT1—was merged into route 1 in 2019.
Routes 1–121
These routes constitute nearly all local transit within Boston’s metropolitan core; most have their origins as Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged roughly clockwise from southeast to northeast, this network has largely persisted since its BERy days, transitioning through the Metropolitan Transit Authority before becoming part of the MBTA in 1964. Over time, some minor mergers and additions have taken place.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes trace back to acquisitions from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were renumbered using previously discontinued identifiers.
In 2004, fourteen lines—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were designated as key bus routes due to their high ridership levels. These frequent-service corridors complement Boston’s subway system by serving dense urban areas. The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign initiative in 2024 is phasing out the "key bus route" label while expanding frequent service across more routes. Notably, Routes 28 and 39 operate with 60-foot articulated buses.
Additionally, there are four early morning round trips that connect outlying stations with over segments of several local lines. Primarily intended for station agents but available to all riders, these trips are numbered internally as 191–194 and appear as variants of local routes in official timetables.
131–137
The routes numbered 131 through 137 provide service within the Melrose region, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Under MBTA operation, routes 136 and 137 once briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence, but these extensions have since been discontinued. Route 132 originally belonged to Service Bus Lines before the MBTA assumed control in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates on a limited basis, serving as a substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Historically, other routes in the 170 series catered to industrial areas but were generally short-lived.
201–202
The original 20 belt route, created by the M.T.A. in 1962 from BERY’s inherited services, was redesignated as routes 201 and 202 in 2005 to better distinguish the directional loops around Fields Corner.
210–245
Routes numbered from 210 to 245 serve the Quincy vicinity and descend from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed by the MBTA in 1968. Following the gradual inauguration of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were modified to conclude at rapid transit stations such as .
350–354
Serving Burlington and Woburn areas, these routes originated from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell–Boston corridor, which was taken over by the MBTA in 1968 and later shortened to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Operating throughout Lynn and the North Shore region, these routes include services formerly run by Service Bus Lines and Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968 and 1975. Two routes serving Haymarket have weekend short-turn versions (indicated by a W suffix) that terminate at Wonderland.
501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Established during the 1960s to take advantage of the turnpike's expansion, the 500 series includes former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes (the 550 series) that were extended into downtown Boston in that decade and later integrated into the MBTA system in 1972. In 2020, these routes were truncated to terminate at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
Certain suburban routes located beyond the MBTA’s usual service boundaries receive partial funding from the authority and connect with its network. The radial commuter lines numbered 712 through 716 were formerly managed by private companies—Rapid Transit Inc. operated routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation ran route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines managed route 716—before their acquisition. Additionally, local circulator services initiated by municipalities with some MBTA subsidies are operated by private contractors, except for the Beverly Shuttle which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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