Bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Division| File:MBTA logo.svg MBTA logo |
| Company type | Public transit agency division |
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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, Bus rapid transit (Silver Line) |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus division manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region in Massachusetts. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway system, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. A significant number of these routes trace their origins to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or were once run by suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Of the total, the MBTA directly oversees 147 routes, while private contractors operate four. Additionally, four suburban services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
The majority of bus routes require a local fare payment, currently set at $1.70 for a one-way trip as of 2024. The Silver Line waterfront services—including SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour SLW shuttle—charge the subway fare of $2.40. Express buses apply a dual fare system: passengers pay the local fare for travel within local segments and $4.25 for express segments on highways (all fares reflect 2024 pricing).
Bus operations experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but were mostly reinstated by 2021, with some routes eliminated. Since 2018, the MBTA has been planning an extensive overhaul of its bus network, aiming for completion by 2028; initial modifications started in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is a six-route bus rapid transit (BRT) network promoted as a rapid transit option. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, plus the rush-hour SLW shuttle), which travels through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4 and SL5), which operates on surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to subway rides, whereas Washington Street routes use standard bus fare rates. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses; those on Waterfront routes are hybrids equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
SL5 began service in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The Shuttle service started in 2004 alongside SL2 and the original SL3; SL1 commenced in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. SL4 was introduced in 2009 to substitute a canceled Phase III tunnel project. The current SL3 route extending to Chelsea opened in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) routes operated by MBTA provide limited-stop service designed to connect key subway stations and major bus transfer points efficiently. Initially, three crosstown routes were established in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These lines cover almost the entire local transit network within the metropolitan center, with many tracing their origins back to former Boston Elevated Railway streetcar routes. Arranged roughly in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, these routes have largely remained consistent since the BERy period, evolving through the Metropolitan Transit Authority and into the MBTA system.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and — operate in the western suburban areas including Bedford, Massachusetts, Waltham, Massachusetts, Lexington, Massachusetts, and Needham, Massachusetts. These services stem from the 1972 takeover of Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines and were renumbered accordingly.
In 2004, fourteen routes—such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and — were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand lines provide frequent service to the city’s most densely populated neighborhoods, complementing the subway system. Starting in 2024, the MBTA is replacing the "key bus route" designation with a broader frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 operate using 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning trips (191–194) run as round trips connecting outlying stations with along various local lines. Although primarily intended for station agents, these trips are accessible to all passengers and are listed as variants of local routes.
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131–137
Serving the Melrose vicinity, routes 131 through 137 originate from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA network in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended briefly to Lowell and Lawrence under MBTA management. Route 132 was initially operated by Service Bus Lines before MBTA assumed control in 1975.
171
Route 171 offers limited early morning service as a replacement for the discontinued CT3 route that was cut back from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes numbered in the 170s served short-lived industrial zones.
201–202
The original 20 belt route was established in 1962 by the M.T.A., derived from BERy’s former 20 and 21 segments. In 2005, it was divided into two separate routes—201 and 202—to clarify directions around the loop.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 primarily serve the Quincy vicinity, tracing their origins to Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that the MBTA incorporated in 1968. With the gradual inauguration of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these bus routes were adjusted to conclude mainly at rapid transit hubs such as .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, routes 350 to 354 stem from the former Lowell–Boston line of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which the MBTA took over in 1968 before later shortening service to Burlington.
411–465
Operating throughout Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes include former Service Bus Lines (routes 411 and 430) purchased in 1975, along with predominantly Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines acquired in 1968. Certain Haymarket-bound services provide weekend short-turn trips that end at Wonderland.
| Route
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Description
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MBTA link
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| 411
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Kennedy Drive or Jack Satter House–
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| 424
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Eastern Avenue & Essex Street–
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| 426
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Central Square, Lynn–
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| 426W
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(Weekend short-turn) Central Square, Lynn–Wonderland station
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| 428
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Oaklandvale–Haymarket station
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| 429
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Northgate Shopping Center–Central Square, Lynn
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| 430
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Saugus Center–Malden Center station
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| 435
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"Salem Depot"–Central Square, Lynn via Peabody Square
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| 436
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"Liberty Tree Mall"–Central Square, Lynn via Goodwin Circle
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| 439
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"Nahant"–Wonderland station
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| 441
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"Marblehead"–Wonderland station via Massachusetts Route 1A
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| ' 442
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"Marblehead to Wonderland via Humphrey Street"
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501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston, traveling along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Established in the 1960s to take advantage of the turnpike’s extension into Boston, the 500 series incorporates former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes (the 550 series) that were extended into downtown and integrated into the MBTA system in 1972. These routes were later shortened back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban routes beyond its primary service region that interface with MBTA transit. The radial commuter lines numbered 712 through 716 were acquired from private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. operates 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation runs 714, and Hudson Bus Lines manages 716.
Local circulator routes without numbers are typically established by municipalities with some MBTA financial support and are run by private contractors. An exception is the Beverly Shuttle, which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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