The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus division manages 151 routes throughout the Boston metropolitan region, all of which provide connections to MBTA subway lines, Commuter Rail services, or other bus routes. Out of these, 147 routes are directly operated by the MBTA, while four are managed by private contractors and an additional four suburban routes receive partial funding from the MBTA.
As of 2024, the local bus fare is set at $1.70 per one-way trip. The Silver Line waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, SL3, SLW) charge the subway fare of $2.40. Express buses feature a two-tier fare system: a local fare for initial segments and an elevated express fare of $4.25 for highway travel into downtown Boston.
Service levels were significantly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic but were mostly restored by 2021. Since 2018, the MBTA has been implementing a comprehensive redesign of its bus network, with full completion anticipated by 2028; preliminary adjustments began rolling out in December 2024.
Silver Line
The Silver Line consists of six bus rapid transit routes branded as rapid transit service. It is divided into two segments: the Waterfront services (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour SLW shuttle), which operate through the South Boston Transitway tunnel and require subway fares; and the Washington Street services (SL4 and SL5), which run on surface streets charging standard bus fares. All Silver Line vehicles are articulated buses measuring 60 feet in length; those on Waterfront routes are hybrid models equipped with extended battery capacity to enable electric operation within the tunnel.
The SL5 route commenced operations in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated train line. The Shuttle service started in 2004, alongside SL2 and the original SL3 routes introduced that same year. SL1 began service in 2005 utilizing dual-mode buses. The SL4 route was launched in 2009 following cancellation of a planned Phase III tunnel project. A new SL3 route extending service to Chelsea was added in 2018.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
The MBTA operates two crosstown (CT) routes that provide limited-stop service linking major subway stations and bus transfer hubs. Initially launched with three crosstown routes in 1994, route CT1 was merged into route 1 in 2019.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
These lines constitute the majority of local transit within Boston’s core metropolitan area, many tracing their origins back to former Boston Elevated Railway streetcar corridors. They are numbered approximately clockwise from southeast to northeast and have largely remained stable since the BERy period, despite some consolidations and expansions during both M.T.A. and MBTA administration.
Seven specific routes— , , , , , , and —serve western suburban communities such as Bedford, Waltham, Lexington, and Needham. These originated from acquisitions of former Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines in 1972 and were assigned previously unused numbers.
In 2004, fourteen routes—including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and —were identified as key bus routes due to their high ridership levels. These important corridors provide frequent service complementing the subway network by connecting the densest neighborhoods. With the Bus Network Redesign commencing in 2024, the “key route” classification is being phased out in favor of a broader frequent route network concept. Routes 28 and 39 utilize 60-foot articulated buses.
Additionally, four early morning round-trip runs operate between outlying stations and over multiple local lines. Originally intended for station agents but accessible to all riders, these trips are internally numbered 191–194 but appear as variants of local routes in schedules.
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Routes numbered 131 through 137 operate within the Melrose region, tracing their origins to former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines that were incorporated into the MBTA system in 1968. Both routes 136 and 137, now discontinued, once extended service to Lowell and Lawrence during MBTA oversight. Initially, route 132 was run by Service Bus Lines before being transferred to MBTA control in 1975.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
Route 171 offers limited service as a substitute for early morning CT3 trips that were shortened from Logan Airport in 2002. Other routes in the 170 series were temporary industrial shuttle services.
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The 20 belt route was established by the M.T.A. in 1962, evolving from the truncated BERY routes 20 and 21. In 2005, it was split into routes 201 and 202 to better indicate the direction of their respective loops.
Serving the Quincy vicinity, routes numbered 210 through 245 originated from Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines absorbed by the MBTA in 1968. After the gradual launch of the Red Line's Braintree Branch during the 1970s and 1980s, these routes were redirected to conclude at rapid transit stations, mainly .
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
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 these routes in 1968 and subsequently shortened service to terminate at Burlington.
Operating throughout Lynn and the North Shore, these services incorporate former Service Bus Lines routes (411, 430) acquired in 1975, alongside primarily Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway lines dating back to 1968. Weekend short-turn versions, indicated with a W, conclude at Wonderland station.
Route
Description
MBTA link
411
Malden Center station–Kennedy Drive or Jack Satter House
These express services link Newton with downtown Boston utilizing the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The MBTA created the 500 series in the 1960s to capitalize on the newly extended turnpike. Routes in the 550 series originated from Middlesex and Boston Street Railway lines to Newton Corner, were extended downtown during the 1960s, transferred to MBTA control in 1972, and eventually cut back to Newton Corner in 2020.
Route
Description
MBTA link
501
Federal Street & Franklin Street (Financial District)–Brighton Center
The MBTA provides partial funding for suburban routes that extend beyond its primary service zone and connect to MBTA transit lines. The radial commuter routes numbered 712 through 716 were originally operated by private companies and later integrated into the MBTA system: Rapid Transit Inc. manages routes 712 and 713, Nantasket Transportation operates route 714, and Hudson Bus Lines runs route 716.
Routes without numerical designations function as local circulators established by municipalities with some financial support from the MBTA. Except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is managed by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, these services are all contracted out to private operators.
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From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
This page is a redirect. The following categories are used to track and monitor this redirect:
From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized.
