As of 2024, the fare for local bus trips is $1.70 per ride. The Silver Line’s waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express buses feature a two-tier fare system: passengers pay the local fare for trips within local zones and $4.25 for the express segment heading into downtown Boston.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were scaled back but were fully restored to pre-pandemic frequencies by 2021, although some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing an extensive bus network redesign expected to conclude in 2028, with initial modifications implemented starting in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six routes forming a bus rapid transit network promoted as rapid transit service. It consists of two distinct branches: the Waterfront branch (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which travels through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street branch (SL4, SL5), operating on surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to subway rides, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fare levels. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes utilize hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to allow electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle service began operating in 2004, followed closely by SL2 and the original SL3 also in 2004; SL1 commenced service in 2005 using dual-mode buses. After plans for a Phase III tunnel were canceled, SL4 started running in 2009. A new SL3 route connecting Chelsea was launched in 2018.
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The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes, which provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and bus transfer hubs. When introduced in 1994, there were originally three crosstown routes; however, CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
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These routes encompass nearly all local bus operations within the metropolitan center, with most having evolved from Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, they have largely preserved their original structure since the BERy days, despite various mergers and expansions during the M.T.A. and MBTA eras.
Seven routes – , , , , , , and – cater to western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes trace back to former lines acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers that had previously been retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes – including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand corridors enhance the subway network by offering frequent service throughout the most densely populated urban zones. Beginning in 2024, the MBTA is transitioning away from the "key bus route" label toward a broader classification of frequent route networks. Routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips (191–194) link outlying stations with through multiple local routes, primarily intended for station staff but accessible to all riders.
... [list continues with similar concise entries for remaining routes] ...
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Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose vicinity, originating from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA network in 1968. The now-discontinued routes 136 and 137 once extended service to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA management. Route 132 was initially run by Service Bus Lines before its incorporation into the MBTA system in 1975.
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Route 171 offers limited early morning trips connecting Logan Airport terminals with , succeeding the discontinued CT3 service reduction in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-term services aimed at industrial districts.
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The 20 belt route, established by the M.T.A. in 1962 from remnants of BERy’s routes 20 and 21, was renamed as routes 201 and 202 in 2005 to better differentiate loop directions around Fields Corner.
Routes numbered 210 through 245 mainly serve the Quincy area, tracing their origins to the former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were integrated into the MBTA system in 1968. Following the gradual introduction of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these services were modified to end at newly established rapid transit stations, predominantly .
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Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes derive from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell to Boston line, which was taken over by the MBTA in 1968 and later truncated to Burlington.
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These routes operate throughout Lynn and the North Shore area. They include former Service Bus Lines routes (411, 430) acquired in 1975 alongside primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed in 1968. Two routes heading toward Haymarket provide weekend short-turn options ending at Wonderland station.
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These limited-stop routes provide a connection between Newton and downtown Boston by way of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA introduced the 500 series in the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike's extension. The 550 series evolved from former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner, which were extended into downtown Boston during the 1960s and later incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, in 2020, these routes were shortened to terminate once again at Newton Corner.
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The MBTA provides partial funding for several suburban routes located outside its primary service zone that link with MBTA transit lines. Routes numbered 712 through 716 are commuter corridors originally operated by private companies—Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation oversaw route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines ran route 716—before being integrated into the MBTA network.
Municipally initiated local circulators without route numbers receive partial MBTA subsidies. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are run under private contracts.
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