The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus division manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region in Massachusetts. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway system, Commuter Rail lines, or other bus services within the MBTA network. Many of these routes trace their origins to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or various suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA directly administers 147 of these routes, while four others are operated under contracts with private firms. Additionally, four suburban bus services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
For local bus travel in 2024, the one-way fare is set at $1.70. The Silver Line routes serving the waterfront area (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge a higher fare equivalent to subway pricing, which is $2.40. Express buses have a dual fare structure: the local portion costs $1.70, while the express segment on highways is priced at $4.25.
Bus operations experienced interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic but had largely returned to pre-pandemic service levels by 2021, although some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been undertaking an extensive redesign of its bus network, targeting completion by 2028; initial modifications were introduced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line represents a six-route bus rapid transit system marketed as a rapid transit option. It features two distinct branches: the Waterfront service (routes SL1, SL2, SL3, and SLW shuttle), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street service (routes SL4 and SL5), which runs along surface streets. Waterfront routes apply subway fare rates, whereas Washington Street routes use standard local bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes utilize hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
Route SL5 commenced in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The Shuttle service began in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 later that year. SL1 was launched in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses capable of operating both electrically and on diesel. In 2009, SL4 was introduced as a substitute for a canceled Phase III tunnel project. A new SL3 route extending to Chelsea started service in 2018.
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The MBTA operates two limited-stop crosstown routes designed to link key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs efficiently. Initially introduced in 1994 as three separate routes, one of them—CT1—was merged into route 1 in 2019.
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These routes cover nearly all local transit within Boston’s central metropolitan region, with most originally established as streetcar lines by the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged roughly in a clockwise manner from the southeast to the northeast, this network has largely remained unchanged since the BERy period, despite some consolidations and additions introduced by the Metropolitan Transit Authority and subsequently the MBTA.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines originated from the 1972 acquisition of Middlesex and Boston Street Railway services.
In 2004, fourteen routes— , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes. These high-demand corridors provide frequent service that complements the subway system, targeting Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. Starting in 2024, the MBTA is transitioning away from the key route classification toward a broader frequent route network. Routes 28 and 39 operate 60-foot articulated buses.
Early morning service includes four round trips (routes 191–194) linking outlying stations to via several local routes. These trips primarily support station agents but are open to all passengers.
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Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose vicinity, tracing back to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were absorbed into MBTA service in 1968. Under MBTA management, routes 136 and 137—now discontinued—once extended briefly to Lowell and Lawrence. Route 132 was initially operated by Service Bus Lines before transitioning to MBTA control in 1975.
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, succeeding the discontinued CT3 route cutback in 2002. Other routes within the 170 series historically catered to industrial areas but generally had short operational spans.
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Originally created in 1962 by the M.T.A. from former BERy routes, the 20 belt line was renamed in 2005 to routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the directional loops around Fields Corner.
Serving the Quincy, Massachusetts region, routes numbered 210 through 245 originated from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that the MBTA absorbed in 1968. Following the gradual inauguration of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these bus lines were adjusted to primarily terminate at rapid transit stations such as .
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These lines operate within the Burlington and Woburn regions and originate from the Lowell–Boston corridor of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which the MBTA acquired in 1968 before later shortening service to Burlington.
Serving Lynn and the North Shore, these routes include former Service Bus Lines operations (routes 411 and 430) acquired by the MBTA in 1975, alongside primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines from 1968. Weekend short-turn trips, designated with a W, conclude at Wonderland station.
Route
Description
MBTA link
411
Malden Center station–Kennedy Drive or Jack Satter House
These express services link Newton to downtown Boston by way of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Originating in the 1960s to utilize the turnpike extension, the 500 series comprises former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes (550 series) that were extended into downtown Boston during that decade and integrated into the MBTA in 1972. In 2020, service was shortened back to Newton Corner.
Route
Description
MBTA link
501
Federal Street & Franklin Street (Financial District, Boston)–Brighton Center
The MBTA provides partial subsidies for suburban transit lines outside its primary service zone that interface with MBTA transportation modes. Routes 712 through 716 represent radial commuter services formerly managed by private companies: Rapid Transit Inc. (712/713), Nantasket Transportation (714), and Hudson Bus Lines (716).
Routes without numerical designations function as local circulators initiated by local governments with some funding from the MBTA. These services are mostly contracted out to private operators, with the exception of the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
