Bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority managing routes in Boston metropolitan area
MBTA Bus Division| Company type | Division of a public agency |
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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 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. Many of these services trace their origins to historic streetcar systems operated by the Boston Elevated Railway and suburban operators such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA directly oversees 147 of these routes, while four are contracted to private companies; additionally, four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
Fares differ depending on the service type: local buses charge a one-way fare of $1.70 (as of 2024), Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) require the subway fare of $2.40, and express buses apply a two-tier fare structure—$1.70 for local segments and $4.25 for express highway portions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were temporarily scaled back but largely reinstated by 2021. Since 2018, the MBTA has been implementing a comprehensive bus network redesign aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and increasing service frequency, with full deployment anticipated by 2028. The initial phase commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line constitutes a six-route bus rapid transit (BRT) network promoted as a rapid transit option. It comprises two distinct branches: the Waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which run through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street services (SL4, SL5), operating along surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to subway rides, while Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line buses are articulated 60-foot vehicles; those on Waterfront routes are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
Introduced in 2002, SL5 replaced the Washington Street Elevated rail line. The Shuttle service began in 2004, followed by SL2 and SL3 later that year, with SL1 launching in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. After plans for a tunnel extension were canceled, SL4 started service in 2009. In 2018, a new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea was inaugurated.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop connections between key subway stations and bus transfer hubs. Initially launched with three routes in 1994, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
Nearly all local transit service within the metropolitan center is covered by these routes, most of which originated as streetcar lines under the Boston Elevated Railway. The numbering system, arranged approximately clockwise from the southeast to the northeast, has largely stayed consistent since the BERy period, with only minor consolidations and additions occurring during the M.T.A. and MBTA administrations.
Seven specific routes – , , , , , , and – operate in western suburbs such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines trace their origins to former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes acquired in 1972, later assigned numbers that had previously been discontinued.
Among these, fourteen routes – including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes in 2004. These high-ridership corridors complement the subway network by delivering frequent service to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. The key bus route designation is being phased out in favor of a more comprehensive frequent route network as part of the MBTA's Bus Network Redesign initiative launching in 2024. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round trips (routes 191–194) link outlying stations with by traversing segments of multiple local routes. While primarily intended for station agents, these trips are accessible to all passengers.
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131–137
Serving the Melrose vicinity, routes 131 through 137 follow former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway corridors integrated into the MBTA system in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA management. Route 132 began as a Service Bus Lines operation before transitioning to MBTA control in 1975.
171
Route 171 provides limited service as a substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were brief industrial shuttle services.
201–202
Originally designated as the 20 belt route by M.T.A. in 1962 from BERy's inherited lines, this service was renumbered in 2005 into routes 201 and 202 to distinguish the loop directions around Fields Corner.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 provide service in the Quincy area, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Following the gradual introduction of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to primarily conclude at rapid transit stations such as .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes originate from the Lowell–Boston line of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which the MBTA took over in 1968. Over time, this service was truncated to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
These routes operate across Lynn and the North Shore region. Two of them feature weekend short-turn variants (indicated by a W suffix) that end at Wonderland. The 411 and 430 routes were acquired from Service Bus Lines in 1975, while the remainder originated from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway acquisitions in 1968.
501–558
These express bus routes provide transit 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 has its roots in former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines that served Newton Corner, later extended into downtown Boston during the 1960s and integrated into the MBTA system in 1972. In 2020, these routes were shortened to terminate again at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
Certain suburban routes beyond the MBTA's primary service region receive partial funding from the authority and connect with MBTA transit lines. The commuter routes numbered 712 through 716 were originally run by private companies—Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operated route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines handled route 716—before being incorporated.
Local circulator services, identified by non-numeric codes on MBTA maps, are typically initiated by municipalities with some financial support from the MBTA. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are contracted out to private operators.
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