Bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, Massachusetts
MBTA Bus Division| Company type | Division |
|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
|---|
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
|---|
Area served | Boston metropolitan area |
|---|
| Products | Bus transit services |
|---|
| Parent | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
|---|
| Website | www.mbta.com/schedules/bus |
|---|
The MBTA bus division of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority manages 151 bus routes throughout the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan region, providing connections to the MBTA subway, commuter rail, and additional bus lines. Many of these routes originated from former streetcar corridors or suburban transit providers such as the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. The MBTA operates 147 of these routes directly, while four others are managed by private contractors. Moreover, four suburban transit services receive partial financial support from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the one-way fare for local buses is $1.70. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge the standard subway fare of $2.40. Express buses apply a two-tier fare system: local segments are priced at the local fare, while express highway portions cost $4.25.
Bus service was modified during the COVID-19 pandemic but largely returned to near pre-pandemic frequencies by 2021, although some routes remain inactive. Since 2018, the MBTA has been planning a comprehensive overhaul of its bus network with a targeted completion year of 2028. The first phase of these changes commenced in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line consists of six bus rapid transit routes branded as rapid transit service. It features two main branches: the Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour SLW shuttle), which operates through the South Boston Transitway tunnel charging subway-equivalent fares; and the Washington Street service (SL4, SL5), running on surface streets with standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated 60-foot buses; those on Waterfront routes are hybrid electric models capable of extended battery-powered operation within tunnels.
The SL5 route debuted in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated line. The Shuttle service began in 2004 alongside the original SL2 and SL3 routes introduced that same year. The SL1 started operating in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. After a proposed tunnel extension was canceled, SL4 launched in 2009. A new SL3 route serving Chelsea was added in 2018.
Crosstown
Two crosstown (CT) routes provide limited-stop service linking key subway stations and major bus transfer hubs. The MBTA initially launched three crosstown routes in 1994; however, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
1–121
These routes cover nearly all local transit within the metropolitan center, with most originally established as streetcar lines by the Boston Elevated Railway. Arranged approximately in a clockwise sequence from the southeast to the northeast, they have largely remained consistent since the BERy period, despite some consolidations and expansions during the M.T.A. and MBTA eras.
Seven routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These lines descend from services acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972 and were assigned numbers previously retired.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , and —were identified as key bus lines. These high-ridership routes support the subway system by offering frequent transit to Boston’s most densely populated neighborhoods. The MBTA's Bus Network Redesign, commencing in 2024, is gradually replacing this classification with a broader frequent route network. Notably, routes 28 and 39 operate with 60-foot articulated buses.
A small number of early morning round trips—four in total—run between peripheral stations and , primarily intended for station staff but accessible to all riders. These are internally designated as routes 191–194 and appear as local variants in published schedules.
131–137
Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate in the Melrose region, tracing back to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed into the MBTA network in 1968. Routes 136 (now discontinued) and 137 once extended service to Lowell and Lawrence, their original endpoints. Route 132 was initially operated by Service Bus Lines before MBTA took over in 1975.
171
Route 171 functions as a limited-service substitute following the reduction of early morning CT3 service from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were short-lived lines serving industrial zones.
201–202
Originally established in 1962 by the M.T.A. from BERY’s 20 and 21 stubs, the 20 belt route was renumbered in 2005 as routes 201 and 202 to better indicate the direction of each loop.
210–245
Serving the Quincy, Massachusetts region, routes numbered 210 through 245 originated from former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA in 1968. After the gradual extension of the Red Line’s Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were adjusted to connect with rapid transit stations such as .
350–354
These routes cover the Burlington and Woburn locales, originating from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway’s Lowell–Boston line. The MBTA assumed control of this corridor in 1968, shortly thereafter shortening it to terminate at Burlington.
411–465
Serving Lynn and the North Shore area, these routes encompass former Service Bus Lines routes (411 and 430) acquired in 1975, along with primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes absorbed in 1968. Two routes heading toward Haymarket feature weekend short-turn variants identified by a W suffix, which terminate at Wonderland.
501–558
These express services link Newton with downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Established in the 1960s following the extension of the turnpike, the 500-series routes include former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines extended into downtown during that decade and incorporated into the MBTA system in 1972. In 2020, some routes were truncated back to Newton Corner.
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
Privately operated routes
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban bus lines extending beyond its primary network that connect with MBTA transit services. Routes 712 through 716 are radial commuter services previously owned by private companies—specifically, Rapid Transit Inc. managed routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operated route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines handled route 716.
Local circulator routes without assigned numbers are established by municipalities and receive partial MBTA subsidies. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is run by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, all of these services are operated under private contracts.
External links
