The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus division manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region, integrating connections with the MBTA subway, Commuter Rail, and additional bus lines. Among these, 147 routes are directly operated by the MBTA itself, while four are contracted out to private operators. Furthermore, four suburban services receive partial funding from the MBTA.
Fare structures differ depending on the service: the majority of local buses charge a one-way fare of $1.70 (as of 2024), Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the subway fare of $2.40, and express buses implement a dual fare system—charging $1.70 for local segments and $4.25 for express portions.
Although service reductions occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, most pre-pandemic service levels were reinstated by 2021. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking an extensive redesign of its bus network, targeting completion by 2028, with initial modifications introduced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six bus rapid transit routes branded as rapid transit service. It features two main branches: the Waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which utilize the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street routes (SL4, SL5), operating on surface streets. The Waterfront services charge subway fares, whereas Washington Street routes require standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; hybrid electric models are used on Waterfront routes to accommodate tunnel operation.
The SL5 commenced operations in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The SLW shuttle followed in 2004, alongside the introduction of SL2 and the original SL3 in that same year; SL1 began service in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. The SL4 started running in 2009 after plans for a tunnel extension were canceled. A new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea opened in 2018.
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Two crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop service that links major subway and bus transfer locations. Originally introduced by the MBTA in 1994 as three routes, CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
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Routes numbered 1 through 121 cover nearly all local transit within Boston’s urban core; many originated as streetcar lines under the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged approximately clockwise from southeast to northeast, this network has largely remained consistent since the BERy period despite some consolidations and expansions under both M.T.A. and MBTA oversight.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes trace back to former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines acquired in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously unused.
A group of fourteen lines—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were designated as key bus routes in 2004 due to their high ridership levels. These key corridors complement subway service by offering frequent connections to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. Beginning with the 2024 Bus Network Redesign, the MBTA is phasing out this designation while broadening its frequent route network. Routes 28 and 39 operate with articulated buses measuring 60 feet.
Four early morning round trips (routes 191–194) cover various segments of multiple local routes between outlying stations and ; these trips primarily serve station agents but are available to all passengers and appear as variations of local routes in schedules.
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Routes numbered from 131 to 137 operate within the Melrose, Massachusetts vicinity; these lines originated from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway services incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 briefly extended service to Lowell, Massachusetts and Lawrence, Massachusetts, respectively, under MBTA administration. Route 132 was initially part of Service Bus Lines before transitioning to MBTA operation in 1975.
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Route 171 provides infrequent service replacing early morning CT3 trips after its Logan Airport segment was discontinued in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-lived industrial area shuttles.
Route
Description
MBTA link
201–202
The belt route numbered 20 was created by the M.T.A. in 1962 from remnants of BERy’s route numbers 20 and 21; it was renumbered into two separate loops labeled as routes 201 and 202 in 2005 to better indicate their respective loop directions.
Route
Description
MBTA link
210–245
Routes within the range of 210 to 245 primarily serve Quincy and its surroundings; these traces originate from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed by the MBTA in 1968. With phased openings of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and ’80s, many of these services were redirected to terminate at rapid transit stations such as
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.
Route
Description
MBTA link
350–354
Serving Burlington and Woburn areas, these routes descend from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell-to-Boston corridor inherited intact by MBTA in 1968 before being shortened to Burlington.
Route
Description
MBTA link
411–465
Operating across Lynn and North Shore communities, these lines include former Service Bus Lines routes (411, 430) acquired in 1975 along with others from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway absorbed in 1968. Two Haymarket-area routes offer weekend short-turn variants marked with a W suffix that terminate at Wonderland station.
Route
Description
MBTA link
501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and Boston’s downtown area, utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) corridor. The MBTA introduced the 500 series in the 1960s to take advantage of the newly extended turnpike into Boston. The 550 series evolved from the former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines that originally served Newton Corner, later extended to downtown Boston during the 1960s and incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, in 2020, these routes were truncated back to Newton Corner.
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The MBTA provides partial financial support for several suburban routes beyond its primary service region that connect with MBTA transit lines. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are commuter-oriented radial lines originally owned by private companies—specifically, Rapid Transit Inc. for routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation for route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines for route 716.
Local circulator services, identified by non-numeric MBTA map designations, are municipal initiatives partially subsidized by the MBTA. These services are mostly contracted out to private operators, except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
