Bus network operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Network| 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, Massachusetts , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan area |
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| Products | Bus services, including local routes, express routes, Silver Line BRT |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/schedules/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's bus network encompasses 151 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region, all providing connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus services. The majority of these routes trace their origins back to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway and 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 contracted out to private operators, and an additional four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the fare for local bus travel is set at $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) apply the subway fare of $2.40. Express bus routes feature a two-tier fare system: a local segment charged at the standard local rate and an express highway segment costing $4.25.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service interruptions resulted in temporary route suspensions and altered operations; however, by 2021, full restoration of pre-pandemic service levels was achieved, although some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing a comprehensive redesign of its bus network with a target completion year of 2028. The initial phase of this transformation commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six routes forming a bus rapid transit system promoted as rapid transit. It divides into two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which travels through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), which operates along surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to subway rates, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All vehicles on the Silver Line are articulated buses; those servicing the Waterfront are hybrids equipped with extended battery capabilities for 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 by the original SL2 and SL3 routes also launched that year, and SL1 started in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. The SL4 route commenced in 2009 after plans for a Phase III tunnel were cancelled. A new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea opened in 2018.
Crosstown
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) services, providing limited-stop connections between key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. The MBTA originally introduced three crosstown routes in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
The majority of local transit within the metropolitan core is served by these routes, many of which originally operated as streetcar lines under the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged approximately in a clockwise manner from the southeast to northeast, this network has stayed mostly unchanged since its transition from BERy to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1947 and subsequently to the MBTA in 1964. Smaller routes have been consolidated into main trunk lines, with additional routes introduced during the M.T.A. and MBTA periods.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and — cover western suburban areas such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines evolved from Middlesex and Boston Street Railway services that were acquired in 1972 and later renumbered.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and — were identified as key bus routes due to their high ridership. These routes provide frequent service that complements the subway system by connecting Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. With the MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign commencing in 2024, the term "key bus routes" is being phased out in favor of a more comprehensive frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 use 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips link outlying stations to using segments of multiple local routes. Although primarily intended for station agents, these services are available to all passengers. Internally numbered 191–194, they appear as variants of local routes on published schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve the Melrose region and originated from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA network in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence while under MBTA operation. Initially managed by Service Bus Lines, route 132 was taken over by the MBTA in 1975.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited service substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Other services within the 170 series were short-term industrial shuttle routes.
201–202
The "20 belt" route was established by the M.T.A. in 1962 from remnants of BERy’s original routes 20 and 21. In 2005, it was renumbered as routes 201 and 202 to distinguish the directions of its loop service more clearly.
210–245
The bus routes numbered 210 through 245 primarily service the Quincy region. These lines trace their heritage back to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes, which were integrated into the MBTA system in 1968. After the Red Line's Braintree Branch opened in stages during the 1970s and 1980s, many of these routes were adjusted to conclude at rapid transit stations such as .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, routes 350 through 354 have their roots in the Lowell–Boston corridor once operated by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. This line was acquired by the MBTA in 1968 and later shortened to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Operating within Lynn and the North Shore area, this group of routes includes former Service Bus Lines (such as 411 and 430) that were incorporated into the MBTA in 1975, alongside predominantly Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines acquired in 1968. On weekends, certain shortened variants marked with a W suffix end their trips at Wonderland station for select routes connecting to Haymarket.
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Description
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MBTA link
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501–558
These express bus routes provide direct service between Newton and downtown Boston, traveling along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA introduced the 500 series in the 1960s to take advantage of the newly extended turnpike. The 550 series evolved from former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines that originally ended at Newton Corner; these routes were extended into downtown Boston during the 1960s and incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972. In 2020, service was truncated back to Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
Outside the MBTA’s primary service region, certain suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA to facilitate connections with its transit network. The radial commuter routes numbered 712 through 716 were acquired from private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. operates routes 712 and 713; Nantasket Transportation runs route 714; and Hudson Bus Lines manages route 716.
Local circulator routes without numbers are initiated by municipalities and partially subsidized by the MBTA. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is overseen by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are privately run under contractual agreements.
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