Bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Division| File:MBTA logo.svg MBTA logo |
| Company type | Public 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 transit services, including Silver Line BRT and express buses |
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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, providing connections to the MBTA subway, Commuter Rail, and other bus lines. The majority of these routes have evolved from former streetcar lines originally operated by the Boston Elevated Railway and various suburban companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Of these routes, the MBTA directly oversees 147, while four are run by private contractors, with an additional four suburban routes receiving partial MBTA funding.
As of 2024, the standard local bus fare is set at $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line’s waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the subway fare of $2.40. Express buses have a two-tier fare system: $1.70 for local portions and $4.25 for express segments heading to downtown Boston.
Service levels were impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic but had returned to pre-pandemic conditions by 2021, although some routes were eliminated. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing a thorough bus network redesign initiative aimed at completion by 2028, with initial modifications beginning in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is a bus rapid transit system consisting of six routes, promoted as a rapid transit option. It features two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, plus the rush-hour SLW shuttle), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel; and the Washington Street service (SL4 and SL5), which runs on surface streets. The Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to subway rides, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fare pricing. All Silver Line buses are articulated 60-foot vehicles; those serving Waterfront routes utilize hybrid buses equipped with extended battery capacity to support electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route commenced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated rail line. The Shuttle service began in 2004, followed shortly by SL2 and the original SL3 that same year, with SL1 launching in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. The SL4 started operations in 2009 after a planned tunnel project was canceled. In 2018, a new SL3 route was introduced extending service to Chelsea.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes that provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. Initially launched with three crosstown routes in 1994, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes cover almost all local transit within the metropolitan center, with most originally established as Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, this network has remained mostly unchanged since the BERy period, despite minor consolidations and new route introductions under the M.T.A. and MBTA administrations.
Seven routes – , , , , , , and – serve the western suburbs including Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines trace their origins to services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers recycled from retired designations.
Fourteen routes – such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes in 2004. These heavily utilized corridors complement the subway system by offering frequent service to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. The MBTA’s 2024 Bus Network Redesign plans to retire this classification in favor of a more inclusive frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 operate 60-foot articulated buses.
Early morning service includes four round trips (191–194) connecting peripheral stations with across segments of various local routes. While primarily intended for station staff, these trips are accessible to all riders.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose vicinity, originating from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were absorbed into the MBTA system in 1968. The now-discontinued route 136 and route 137 once extended service briefly to Lowell and Lawrence under MBTA oversight. Route 132 started as a Service Bus Lines operation before transitioning to MBTA control in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates as a limited-service line that replaced early morning CT3 trips following the removal of its Logan Airport segment in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-term industrial shuttle services.
201–202
The former BERy routes 20 and 21 were combined in 1962 to form the circular 20 belt route. In 2005, this belt was divided into routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the direction of each loop.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 operate in the Quincy area, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway services that the MBTA took over in 1968. With the gradual introduction of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to conclude at rapid transit stations, predominantly .
350–354
Covering the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes originated from the Lowell–Boston corridor once managed by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which the MBTA inherited in 1968. Over time, service was shortened to end in Burlington.
411–465
These routes operate within Lynn and the North Shore area. Two of them include weekend short-turn services (indicated by W) that terminate at Wonderland. The 411 and 430 routes were acquired from Service Bus Lines in 1975, while others originated from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway takeover in 1968.
Saugus, Massachusetts Center – Malden Center Station
Template:MBTA bus ELSalem Depot – Central Square, Lynn via Peabody Square
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'Liberty Tree Mall' – Central Square, Lynn via Goodwin Circle
Template:MBTA bus ELNahant, Massachusetts – Wonderland Station
Template:MBTA bus ELMarblehead, Massachusetts – Wonderland Station via
Massachusetts Route 1ATemplate:MBTA bus EL
Marblehead – Wonderland Station via Humphrey Street
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Salem Depot –
- REDIRECT Template:Boston transportation system
Template:MBTA bus EL
Salem Depot – Wonderland Station
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North Beverly Station – Salem Depot
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Salem Depot – Wonderland Station
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Salem Depot – Central Square, Lynn
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501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston, traveling along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA introduced the 500 series during the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike's extension into Boston. Originating from former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines to Newton Corner, the 550 series was extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s and incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, service was truncated back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
Several suburban routes beyond the MBTA’s main service area receive partial funding from the MBTA and connect with its transit network. The radial commuter routes numbered 712 through 716 were acquired from 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 without numerical designations are established by municipalities with some financial support from the MBTA. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is run by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these routes are operated under private contracts.
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