Bus system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus system| Company type | Public transportation |
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| Industry | Public transit |
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| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
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Area served | Boston metropolitan area, Massachusetts |
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| Products | Bus services, including Silver Line bus rapid transit |
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| Website | www.mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus system manages 151 routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region, all providing connections to the MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, or other MBTA bus lines. The majority of these routes have origins tracing back to former streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway and suburban transit firms such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The MBTA directly oversees 147 of these routes, while four are operated by private contractors, and an additional four suburban services receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the fare for local bus rides is $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line routes serving the waterfront (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge the subway fare of $2.40. Express bus services impose a $4.25 fare for travel on highway segments, with local fares applied on community portions.
Bus operations were interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic but had largely returned to near pre-pandemic frequencies by 2021; however, some routes remain suspended. Since 2018, the MBTA has been developing a comprehensive redesign of its bus network, aiming for completion in 2028, with initial modifications commencing 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 primary branches: the Waterfront branch (SL1, SL2, SL3, along with the peak-period SLW shuttle) which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and the Washington Street branch (SL4 and SL5) that runs along surface streets. Waterfront services apply subway fare rates; Washington Street routes maintain standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; Waterfront buses are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to support electric operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route was introduced in 2002 to replace the former Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle service started in 2004, followed by SL2 and the original SL3 also in 2004, then SL1 in 2005 using dual-mode buses. After cancellation of a Phase III tunnel expansion project, SL4 began operating in 2009. A new SL3 route connecting to Chelsea launched in 2018.
Crosstown
The two existing crosstown (CT) lines provide limited-stop service connecting key subway stations and bus transfer hubs. Initially launched with three crosstown routes in 1994, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes provide nearly all local transit within the central metropolitan area; most have their origins as streetcar lines operated by the Boston Elevated Railway. The numbering generally follows a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, and the overall structure of this network has stayed largely unchanged since the BERy period, despite some consolidations and expansions during the M.T.A. and MBTA administrations.
Seven lines – , , , , , , and – serve suburban communities to the west, including Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These routes trace back to the 1972 takeover of Middlesex and Boston Street Railway services, later reassigned numbers that had previously been retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes – such as , , , , and others – were identified as key bus routes due to their significant ridership and their function in complementing the subway by offering frequent service through densely populated urban zones. Starting in 2024, the MBTA plans to replace the key bus route designation with a more extensive frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Four early morning round-trip services (191–194) provide connections between outlying stations and over various local lines. Although primarily intended for station personnel, these trips are available to all riders and are listed as variants of local routes in schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 serve the Melrose region, originally part of former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 at one time extended service to their initial endpoints in Lowell, Massachusetts and Lawrence, Massachusetts. Route 132 was added to the MBTA's roster in 1975 after previously being operated by Service Bus Lines.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited-service substitute for early morning CT3 trips following its reduction from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes beginning with 170 were short-term industrial shuttle services.
201–202
Originally formed in 1962 by the M.T.A. from the former BERy routes, the 20 belt route was divided in 2005 into two separate routes, 201 and 202, to improve clarity regarding travel direction around the Fields Corner Loop.
210–245
Routes numbered from 210 through 245 primarily serve the Quincy, Massachusetts region. These lines trace their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway services, which became part of the MBTA system in 1968. Following the inauguration of the Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were realigned to facilitate connections with Red Line stations.
350–354
Serving areas such as Burlington and Woburn, these routes originated from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell to Boston line. The MBTA took over this service in 1968 and later shortened it to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Serving the Lynn vicinity and North Shore region, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines (411, 430) that were integrated into the MBTA system in 1975, along with predominantly Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines acquired in 1968. Certain Haymarket routes feature weekend short-turn versions (designated with a W suffix) that conclude at Wonderland station.
501–558
These express services operate between Newton and downtown Boston along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Established by the MBTA in the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike's extension, the 500 series consists of routes initially run by the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway, which were expanded into downtown Boston during the 1960s and incorporated into the MBTA in 1972. In 2020, several routes were shortened to terminate at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial subsidies for several suburban transit lines beyond its main service zone, linking them to the MBTA network. The radial commuter routes numbered 712 through 716 were originally operated by private companies, including Rapid Transit Inc. (routes 712 and 713), Nantasket Transportation (route 714), and Hudson Bus Lines (route 716), which have since been incorporated into the MBTA system.
Local circulator services without route numbers are established by local governments with some funding from the MBTA and are run by private contractors—except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is overseen by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
