Bus network serving the Boston metropolitan area operated by the MBTA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Division| File:MBTA logo.svg MBTA logo |
| Company type | Public transportation agency division |
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| Industry | Public transit |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan region |
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| Products | Bus services, including local, express, and bus rapid transit (Silver Line) |
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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 serving the Boston metropolitan region, providing connections to MBTA subway lines, commuter rail, and other bus networks. Many of these routes originated from former streetcar lines or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts and Middlesex and Boston Street Railways. The MBTA operates 147 of these routes directly, while four are managed by private contractors; additionally, four suburban services receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the fare for local bus rides is $1.70 one-way. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge the subway fare of $2.40. Express buses have a two-tier fare system: passengers pay the local fare for trips within local zones and $4.25 for travel on express highway segments.
Most service cuts implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic were reversed by 2021; however, some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking a comprehensive bus network overhaul slated to finish by 2028, with initial modifications starting in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is a bus rapid transit system comprising six routes marketed as rapid transit services. It includes Waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) that operate through the South Boston Transitway tunnel and Washington Street routes (SL4, SL5) running along surface streets. Waterfront services charge fares equivalent to the subway system, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity for electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route commenced service in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line; SLW started in 2004 alongside SL2 and the original SL3. The SL1 began operating in 2005 using dual-mode buses. Following cancellation of a planned tunnel extension, the SL4 was introduced in 2009. The current SL3 route to Chelsea opened in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) lines provide limited-stop service connecting key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. Initially, three crosstown routes were established in 1994; however, CT1 was merged with route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes cover nearly all local transit within Boston’s central metropolitan area and mostly stem from former Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. The numbering generally follows a clockwise pattern from southeast to northeast around the city. Despite some minor consolidations and extensions under both the Metropolitan Transit Authority and MBTA administrations, this network has remained largely consistent since the BERy period.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities including Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These originated from lines acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were later assigned numbers previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes—such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were designated as key bus lines due to their high ridership levels. These frequent-service corridors complement the subway by linking Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. With the MBTA's Bus Network Redesign initiated in 2024, the "key route" classification is being phased out in favor of a broader frequent route network concept. Notably, routes 28 and 39 deploy 60-foot articulated buses.
A set of four early morning trips (191–194) provide connections between outlying stations and via multiple local routes primarily intended for station staff but accessible to all riders.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 primarily serve the Melrose region, originating from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Among these, routes 136 and 137, now discontinued, once extended service to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA oversight. Route 132 was incorporated into the MBTA network in 1975, having previously been operated by Service Bus Lines.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes within the 170 series had previously provided temporary service to industrial zones.
201–202
Originally established as the 20 belt route by the M.T.A. in 1962 from former BERy segments, this service was renumbered in 2005 into routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the directions of its loop.
210–245
The routes numbered between 210 and 245 mainly operate within Quincy. These lines originated from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway services absorbed by the MBTA in 1968, initially terminating near downtown Quincy. With the gradual opening of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were redirected to conclude at newly established rapid transit stations such as Quincy Center and Ashmont.
350–354
These routes, serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, originated from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell to Boston corridor. The MBTA took over these lines in 1968 and subsequently shortened the service to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Operating throughout Lynn and the North Shore, these routes include former Service Bus Lines (411, 430) acquired in 1975 as well as lines from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway absorbed in 1968. Weekend services with a W suffix represent short-turn trips ending at Wonderland.
501–558
These express bus routes provide service between Newton and downtown Boston, traveling along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Introduced during the 1960s, the MBTA developed the 500 series to take advantage of the newly extended turnpike. The 550 series has its origins in the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines that ran to Newton Corner, which were expanded to reach downtown Boston in the 1960s and later absorbed by the MBTA in 1972; however, in 2020, these routes were shortened to terminate once again at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
Outside of its primary service region, the MBTA offers partial subsidies for suburban routes that connect with its transit network. The radial commuter lines numbered 712 through 716 were originally operated by private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operated route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines ran route 716 before their acquisition.
Local circulator routes without numbers are established by municipalities and receive some MBTA funding. Except for the Beverly Shuttle—which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority—all these services are run by private contractors under agreements.
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