Bus system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston metropolitan area
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) 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 region |
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| Products | Bus services, including local, express, Silver Line BRT |
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| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
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| Website | mbta.com/bus |
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus system manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region, integrating with the MBTA subway, Commuter Rail, and other bus networks. Of these routes, 147 are operated directly by the MBTA, while four are managed by private contractors. Additionally, four suburban bus services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
Local bus fares generally cost $1.70 as of 2024, whereas the Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) require the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express buses employ a dual fare structure: the local segments are priced at $1.70, and the express highway portions carry a fare of $4.25.
Although service was interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, most routes had returned to near pre-pandemic levels by 2021, with some lines discontinued permanently. Since 2018, the MBTA has been executing an extensive bus network overhaul scheduled for completion in 2028; initial modifications commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is a six-route bus rapid transit (BRT) system promoted as rapid transit service. It consists of two main branches: the Waterfront lines (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW shuttle), which operate through the South Boston Transitway tunnel and charge subway fares, and the Washington Street lines (SL4, SL5), which run on surface streets with standard bus fare rates. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those serving Waterfront routes are hybrids capable of electric operation within tunnels.
Key milestones include the 2002 launch of SL5 replacing the Washington Street Elevated train line, followed by the introduction of the Shuttle in 2004 and both SL2 and original SL3 routes that same year. The SL1 began service in 2005 using dual-mode buses. After plans for a tunnel extension were canceled, SL4 started operations in 2009. A new SL3 route connecting Chelsea opened in 2018.
Crosstown
The two crosstown (CT) lines provide limited-stop connections between major subway and bus transfer hubs. Initially launched in 1994 with three routes, one of them—CT1—was merged into route 1 in 2019.
Routes 1–121
These routes cover nearly all local service within Boston’s central metropolitan area and largely originated as streetcar lines under the Boston Elevated Railway. The numbering generally follows a clockwise pattern from southeast to northeast, spanning from route 4 serving South Boston to route 121 in East Boston. The Boston Elevated Railway was incorporated into the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1947, which later became the MBTA in 1964. Although some minor adjustments and consolidations have occurred over time, the core network remains mostly intact with additional routes introduced under both M.T.A. and MBTA oversight.
Seven routes – , , , , , , and – serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These originated from the acquisition of Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes – including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and – were identified as key bus routes due to their high ridership levels. These important lines provide frequent service to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods and complement subway operations. The MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign initiative starting in 2024 is replacing this key route designation with a broader frequent route classification. Routes 28 and 39 notably operate with articulated buses measuring 60 feet.
Early morning service includes four round trips (routes 191–194) linking outlying stations with via segments of local routes. Intended primarily for station agents but available to all riders, these trips are considered variants of local routes.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 provide service to the Melrose region, tracing their origins back to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that became part of the MBTA network in 1968. Under MBTA management, the now-defunct routes 136 and 137 briefly extended service to Lowell and Lawrence. Additionally, route 132 was originally operated by Service Bus Lines before its integration into the MBTA system in 1975.
171
Route 171 operates as a limited early-morning service that replaced the CT3 route following its reduction from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series typically served short-term industrial area transit needs.
201–202
The 20 belt route, originally established by the M.T.A. in 1962 from BERY’s former routes, was rebranded in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to better distinguish the direction of their loops.
210–245
The routes numbered between 210 and 245 operate within Quincy and are based on former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines acquired in 1968. With the phased introduction of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to terminate at rapid transit stations such as .
350–354
These lines operate within the Burlington and Woburn regions, originally part of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell–Boston corridor. The MBTA took over this network in 1968 and subsequently shortened the route to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Serving Lynn and the North Shore, these routes comprise former Service Bus Lines services (routes 411 and 430) acquired in 1975, alongside primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed in 1968. Weekend short-turn trips, indicated with a W, conclude at Wonderland station.
501–558
These routes offer express transit between Newton and downtown Boston along the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Established by the MBTA during the 1960s to capitalize on the turnpike extension, the 500 series incorporates former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines (the 550 series), which were extended into downtown in the 1960s and integrated into the MBTA system in 1972. In 2020, several routes were shortened to terminate at Newton Corner.
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial subsidies for suburban routes beyond its main network that connect to MBTA services. Commuter lines numbered 712-716, originally run by private companies such as Rapid Transit Inc., Nantasket Transportation, and Hudson Bus Lines, have been incorporated into the system. Local circulator services, designated by letters, are established by municipalities with MBTA financial support and managed by private operators, with the exception of the Beverly Shuttle, which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
