Bus system of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus System| File:MBTA logo.svg MBTA logo |
| Company type | Public transit agency |
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| Industry | Public transportation |
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| Founded | 1964; 62 years ago (1964) |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan region, Massachusetts, United States |
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| Owner | Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's bus system encompasses 151 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus services. The majority of these routes trace their origins to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA directly manages 147 of these routes, while four are operated by private contractors. Additionally, four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the local bus fare is set at $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express bus services have a two-tier fare structure: $1.70 for the local segments and $4.25 for express portions on highways.
While service levels were scaled back during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were restored to pre-pandemic frequencies by 2021, although a few routes remain discontinued. Since 2018, the MBTA has been engaged in a comprehensive restructuring of its bus network, aiming for full rollout by 2028. The initial phase of these changes commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line operates as a six-route bus rapid transit system branded as rapid transit service. It consists of two primary branches: the Waterfront line (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which runs through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street line (SL4, SL5), which travels along surface streets. Waterfront services charge fares consistent with the subway system, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses; those on the Waterfront routes are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to support electric operation within tunnels.
Service on SL5 began in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle service was introduced in 2004 alongside SL2 and the original SL3 routes; SL1 followed in 2005 featuring dual-mode buses. SL4 commenced operations in 2009 after plans for a tunnel extension were cancelled. A new SL3 route serving Chelsea started in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. Initially, three crosstown routes were introduced by the MBTA in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes cover almost all local transit within the metropolitan center and mostly originated from the Boston Elevated Railway streetcar network. Arranged approximately in a clockwise manner from the southeast to the northeast, their numbering has stayed fairly stable since the BERy period, despite some minor consolidations and expansions during the M.T.A. and MBTA administrations.
Seven routes—, , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities including Bedford, Massachusetts, Waltham, Massachusetts, Lexington, Massachusetts, and Needham, Massachusetts. These lines trace their origins to services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers that had previously been retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes—such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes. These high-ridership corridors provide frequent service to complement the subway system within the most densely populated urban areas. The MBTA's 2024 Bus Network Redesign will phase out the key bus route classification in favor of a broader frequent route network concept. Notably, routes 28 and 39 operate with 60-foot articulated buses.
There are four early-morning round trips running between peripheral stations and over sections of multiple local routes. Although intended primarily for station staff, these trips are available to all riders. Internally they are numbered 191–194 but appear as local route variants in published schedules.
... [List continues similarly, omitted for brevity] ...
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose vicinity and descend from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed by the MBTA in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended service briefly to Lowell and Lawrence under MBTA management. Route 132 began as a Service Bus Lines operation before being incorporated into MBTA service in 1975.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited early-morning substitute following the elimination of CT3 service from Logan Airport in 2002. Most other routes in the 170 series were short-term services catering to industrial zones.
201–202
Originating in 1962 from the M.T.A.'s adaptation of BERY's established routes, the 20 belt line was restructured in 2005 into routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the loop directions around Fields Corner.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 primarily operate within the Quincy region, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that the MBTA absorbed in 1968. With the gradual introduction of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were modified to mainly serve as feeders terminating at rapid transit stations such as .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, routes 350 through 354 derive from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell–Boston corridor, which the MBTA acquired in 1968 and later shortened to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Serving Lynn and the North Shore region, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines and Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway services that were integrated into the MBTA network in 1975 and 1968, respectively. On weekends, short-turn versions marked with a W suffix operate to Wonderland station rather than Haymarket.
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- REDIRECT Template:Boston transportation system
| Template:MBTA bus EL |- | 450W | Salem Depot to Wonderland station (weekend variant) | Template:MBTA bus EL |- | 451 | Between North Beverly station and Salem Depot | Template:MBTA bus EL |- | 455 | Connecting Salem Depot and Wonderland station | Template:MBTA bus EL |- | 456 | Route from Salem Depot to Central Square, Lynn | Template:MBTA bus EL |-
501–558
These express bus routes provide a connection between Newton and downtown Boston, utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Established during the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike's extension, the 500 series incorporates services that were initially part of the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway system. The 550 series routes, which were extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s and taken over by the MBTA in 1972, were shortened back to Newton Corner as of 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA offers partial subsidies for suburban routes beyond its primary service area that interface with MBTA transit lines. The routes numbered 712 through 716 serve as radial commuter lines, originally owned by private companies including Rapid Transit Inc., Nantasket Transportation, and Hudson Bus Lines.
Municipally established local circulator routes, which appear without numerical identifiers on MBTA maps, receive partial financial support from the MBTA. These services are generally operated under contract by private firms, except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is run by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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