Bus network of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Bus Network| File:MBTA logo.svg MBTA logo |
| Company type | Public transit |
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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 Silver Line BRT, local and express routes |
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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's bus network comprises 151 routes serving the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region. Each route provides connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. A significant number of these routes trace their origins to former streetcar services 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 run by private contractors. Additionally, there are four suburban routes that receive partial funding from the MBTA.
The standard one-way fare for most buses is $1.70 as of 2024. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour SLW shuttle) apply the regular subway fare of $2.40. Express bus services feature both local and express fare zones, with express trips priced at $4.25 in 2024.
Bus service experienced temporary cutbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic but was largely reinstated by 2021; however, some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been implementing an extensive bus network overhaul aimed at enhancing service quality and operational efficiency, with full completion anticipated by 2028. The initial phase commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line consists of six routes functioning as a bus rapid transit system promoted as rapid transit service. It is divided into two main branches: the Waterfront segment (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour SLW shuttle), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street segment (SL4 and SL5), which runs on surface streets. Waterfront routes charge fares equivalent to subway rides, whereas Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on the Waterfront routes utilize hybrid buses equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 as a successor to the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle began service in 2004, followed by SL2 and SL3 later that year, with SL1 launching in 2005 using dual-mode buses. The SL4 started operating in 2009 after plans for a tunnel extension were canceled. In 2018, a new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea was inaugurated.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. Initially, three crosstown routes were established by the MBTA in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
The majority of local transit within the metropolitan core is covered by these routes, many of which have their roots in the streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged roughly in a clockwise pattern from the southeast to the northeast, these routes constitute the primary framework of the MBTA's bus system, maintaining continuity from the BERy period through transitions involving the Metropolitan Transit Authority and later the MBTA.
A total of seven routes – , , , , , , and – provide service to western suburban areas such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines originated from routes acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were reassigned numbers that had previously been retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes – including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes. These heavily patronized lines operate frequently to complement subway service within densely populated urban zones. Beginning in 2024, the MBTA's Bus Network Redesign will eliminate the "key route" label while broadening the frequent service network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
There are four early morning round trips running between outlying stations and that cover sections of multiple local routes. Intended mainly for station personnel but accessible to all riders, these trips are internally numbered 191–194 but appear as local route variants on official schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve the Melrose region and stem from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA network in 1968. The now-defunct routes 136 and 137 once extended service to Lowell and Lawrence, their original endpoints. Route 132 was initially operated by Service Bus Lines before being absorbed by the MBTA in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates as a limited service substitute for the early morning CT3 route that was truncated from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-term industrial shuttles.
201–202
The 20 belt route, originally formed by M.T.A. in 1962 from the 20 and 21 stubs of B.E.R.Y., was rebranded in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the loop directions.
210–245
Operating within the Quincy, Massachusetts region, routes 210 through 245 trace their origins to former lines of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which the MBTA absorbed in 1968. After the Red Line's Braintree Branch opened in the 1970s and 1980s, these services were redirected to conclude at rapid transit stations, predominantly at .
350–354
These routes provide service in the Burlington and Woburn regions, stemming from the Lowell–Boston line of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which was incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968 and later shortened to end at Burlington.
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411–465
Covering Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes incorporate former Service Bus Lines routes (411, 430) acquired in 1975, along with Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes obtained in 1968. On weekends, shortened trips marked with a W suffix conclude at Wonderland station.
501–558
These express services link Newton with downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA introduced the 500 series in the 1960s to utilize the newly extended turnpike. The 550 series evolved from Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes that originally connected Newton Corner and were extended downtown during the 1960s before MBTA's acquisition in 1972; these were truncated back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban bus routes outside its central service area that connect with MBTA transit lines. Routes 712 through 716 were originally operated by private companies—Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation ran route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines handled route 716 before their integration. Routes without numerical designations are local circulators launched by municipalities and receive some MBTA financial support. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all these services are operated under private contracts.
