Bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority managing routes in Boston area
MBTA Bus Division| Company type | Division |
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| Industry | Public transportation |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan area |
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| Products | Bus transit services |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
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The MBTA bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority manages 151 bus routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, and/or other MBTA bus lines. Numerous routes trace their origins to former streetcar operations once run by the Boston Elevated Railway or suburban transit providers such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Of these, the MBTA directly oversees 147 routes, while four are operated by private contractors. Additionally, four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, local bus rides cost $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express bus lines feature a two-tier fare system: a local fare for community segments and a premium express fare of $4.25 for highway travel into downtown Boston.
Service experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but had largely resumed to pre-pandemic levels by 2021, although some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing an extensive redesign of its bus network, targeting completion by 2028, with initial adjustments implemented in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six bus rapid transit routes promoted as rapid transit service. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), running on surface streets along Washington Street. Waterfront routes charge fares consistent with subway pricing; Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; those on the Waterfront routes utilize hybrid models equipped with extended battery capabilities enabling electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 to replace the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle service began in 2004, alongside SL2 and the original SL3 also launching that year. SL1 started operating in 2005 using dual-mode buses. The SL4 route commenced in 2009 as a replacement for a canceled tunnel project. A new SL3 line extending to Chelsea opened in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) services provide limited-stop connections between key subway stations and major bus transfer points. Originally, three crosstown lines were introduced in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These lines constitute the majority of local transit within the metropolitan downtown area, with many tracing their origins back to the Boston Elevated Railway streetcar system. The routes are numbered approximately in a clockwise direction from the southeast to the northeast and have largely preserved their original structure since the BERy period, despite some consolidations and expansions under M.T.A. and MBTA oversight.
Seven routes – , , , , , , and – operate in western suburban communities including Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes originated from services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes – such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes due to their high ridership. These services provide increased frequency to complement the subway network within Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. As of 2024, the MBTA Bus Network Redesign is phasing out the key bus route classification, replacing it with a more comprehensive frequent route system. Notably, routes 28 and 39 operate with 60-foot articulated buses.
A set of four early morning round trips connects outlying stations with over several local lines. These runs primarily serve station agents but are accessible to all passengers. Internally designated as trips 191–194, they appear as variants of regular local routes in published schedules.
... [List continues with similar concise entries for each route] ...
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve the Melrose vicinity, having evolved from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended service to their original endpoints in Lowell and Lawrence, respectively. Route 132 was initially operated by Service Bus Lines before transitioning to MBTA control in 1975.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 operations that were truncated from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes within the 170 series were typically short-term industrial shuttles.
201–202
The 20 belt route, originally established by the M.T.A. in 1962 from BERy’s 20 and 21 stubs, was divided into two separate routes, 201 and 202, in 2005 to provide clearer loop direction distinctions.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 operate within the Quincy, Massachusetts region and originated from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines integrated into the MBTA system in 1968. Following the gradual launch of the Red Line Braintree Branch between 1971 and the 1980s, these services were adjusted to terminate at rapid transit stations, predominantly .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes trace their origins to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell–Boston line, which was incorporated into the MBTA in 1968 but later shortened to end at Burlington.
411–465
Operating across Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes include former Service Bus Lines routes (411, 430) acquired in 1975 as well as Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes absorbed in 1968. Two routes serving Haymarket feature weekend short-turn options ending at Wonderland.
|- | 439 | From Nahant, Massachusetts to Wonderland station |
|- | 441 | Connecting Marblehead, Massachusetts and Wonderland station via Massachusetts Route 1A (Paradise Road) |
|- | 442 | Marblehead to Wonderland station via Humphrey Street |
|- | 450 | Salem Depot – |
|- | 450W | Salem Depot to Wonderland station |
|- | 451 | From North Beverly station to Salem Depot |
|- | 455 | Salem Depot – Wonderland station |
|- | 456 | Salem Depot – Central Square, Lynn |
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501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA launched the 500 series during the 1960s to take advantage of the newly extended turnpike. The 550 series has its roots in former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes terminating at Newton Corner, which were extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s and later incorporated into MBTA operations in 1972; however, in 2020, service was scaled back to end again at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA offers partial funding for several suburban routes located beyond its primary service region that connect with MBTA transit lines. The routes numbered 712 through 716 are commuter lines radiating outward, originally acquired from private carriers: Rapid Transit Inc. operates routes 712 and 713; Nantasket Transportation runs route 714; and Hudson Bus Lines manages route 716.
Unnumbered services function as local circulators established by municipalities with some MBTA financial support. Except for the Beverly Shuttle—which is overseen by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority—all these routes are privately run under contractual agreements.
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