Bus system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Bus System| Company type | Public transit 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, Massachusetts, United States |
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| Products | Bus transit services including local bus routes, express routes, Silver Line bus rapid transit |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's bus system manages 151 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region. Every route provides connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus services. The majority of these routes trace their origins to historic streetcar lines once operated by the Boston Elevated Railway or suburban transit companies such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Of these, 147 routes are directly managed by the MBTA, while four are run by private contractors. Additionally, four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the standard local bus fare is $1.70 for a single trip. The Silver Line routes serving the waterfront (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge the regular subway fare of $2.40. Express buses feature a two-tier fare: $1.70 for local portions and $4.25 for the express segment traveling into downtown Boston.
Service levels were impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic but returned to pre-pandemic frequencies by 2021, although some routes were discontinued. Since 2018, the MBTA has been planning an extensive redesign of its bus network, with completion anticipated in 2028; initial modifications began in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line comprises six routes forming a bus rapid transit network promoted as rapid transit service. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW), which operate via the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street services (SL4, SL5), which run on surface streets. Waterfront routes apply subway fare rates, whereas Washington Street routes charge standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses; those servicing the Waterfront are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route replaced the former Washington Street Elevated line in 2002. The Shuttle service began operations in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 also in 2004, and SL1 in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. SL4 was introduced in 2009 after plans for a Phase III tunnel were cancelled. A new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea commenced service in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) lines provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer locations. The MBTA originally launched three crosstown routes in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes encompass almost all local transit within the metropolitan center, with the majority originally established as Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, this system has remained mostly consistent since the BERy period, evolving through the Metropolitan Transit Authority and later the MBTA. A few smaller routes were consolidated into main trunk lines, while additional routes were introduced during the M.T.A. and MBTA eras.
Seven lines – , , , , , , and – provide service to western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These originated from routes acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers that had previously been discontinued.
In 2004, fourteen routes – including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as primary bus routes. These high-demand corridors complement the subway system by offering frequent transit options to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign initiative starting in 2024 is replacing this classification with a more comprehensive frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
There are four early morning round trips operating between outlying stations and , covering segments of several local lines. Although mainly intended for station personnel, these runs are accessible to all riders. Internally numbered 191–194, they are presented as variants of local routes in published schedules.
... [Table continues with remaining routes as originally listed] ...
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve the Melrose vicinity, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA in 1968. The now-discontinued routes 136 and 137 once extended service to Lowell and Lawrence. Route 132 began as a Service Bus Lines route before transitioning to MBTA operation in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were truncated from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series previously served industrial zones but had brief operational periods.
201–202
The 20 belt line, established by the M.T.A. in 1962 through the merger of the former BERy routes 20 and 21, was renumbered in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the directional loops.
210–245
Routes numbered 210 through 245 operate within the Quincy, Massachusetts region and are derived from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA in 1968. After the staggered introduction of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these bus services were realigned to end at rapid transit stations, predominantly .
350–354
Serving the Burlington and Woburn regions, these routes trace their origins to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell–Boston corridor, which was incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968 and subsequently shortened to terminate in Burlington.
411–465
Operating within Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes include former Service Bus Lines services (routes 411 and 430) acquired in 1975, alongside primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes absorbed in 1968. Weekend short-turn versions (marked with a W suffix) on two Haymarket routes conclude at Wonderland station.
501–558
These express bus routes provide a connection between Newton and downtown Boston utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA introduced the 500 series during the 1960s to capitalize on the newly extended turnpike. The 550 series traces its origins to Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines serving Newton Corner, which were extended into downtown Boston in the 1960s and later incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972; however, service was scaled back to terminate at Newton Corner in 2020.
Privately operated routes
Certain suburban routes beyond the core MBTA network receive partial funding from the MBTA and link with its transit system. The radial commuter lines numbered 712 through 716 were acquired from private carriers: Rapid Transit Inc. operates routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation runs 714, and Hudson Bus Lines manages 716.
Unnumbered local circulator routes are typically initiated by municipalities with some MBTA financial support. These services are mostly contracted out to private operators, except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
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