List of MBTA bus routes

Geographic map of MBTA bus service

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus division operates bus routes in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. All routes connect to MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, and/or other MBTA bus services. Many routes are descendants of the streetcar routes of the Boston Elevated Railway, or of suburban companies including the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, Middlesex and Boston Street Railway, and Newton and Boston Street Railway.

A number of routes have been temporarily suspended or placed on modified routings during the COVID-19 pandemic. While overall service levels were restored to pre-COVID levels in 2021, some routes remain modified or suspended.

Key[]

	Routes using Electric trolleybuses (trackless trolleys) or dual-mode buses
^	Routes using 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses
N	Routes not operating during COVID-19 pandemic
M	Routes with modified routing during COVID-19 pandemic

Silver Line[]

A Silver Line bus leaves the Waterfront Tunnel on the SL1 route

A bus on the SL4 route at Newton Street station in 2019

The Silver Line is a bus rapid transit system marketed as rapid transit. It is divided into two branches: Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, SL3, and the rush-hour Shuttle) that runs through the South Boston Transitway tunnel, and Washington Street service (SL4 and SL5) that runs on the surface via Washington Street. The Waterfront service costs the same as a subway fare, while the Washington Street service costs a regular bus fare.

The SL5 route was created in 2002 as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated. The Shuttle route began operations in 2004, followed by the SL2 and SL3 (former) in 2004 and SL1 in 2005 when dual-mode buses became available. The SL4 was introduced in 2009 as a replacement for the canceled Phase III tunnel. A new SL3 route to Chelsea opened in 2018.^[1]

Route	Note	Description	MBTA link
SL1	^	Logan Airport–South Station	Link
SL2	^	Design Center–South Station	Link
SL3	^	Chelsea station–South Station	Link
Shuttle	^	Silver Line Way–South Station
SL4	^	Nubian station–South Station at Essex Street	Link
SL5	^	Nubian station–Downtown Crossing at Temple Place	Link

Crosstown[]

A CT3 bus on Longwood Avenue in 2018

The crosstown (CT) buses provide limited-stop service on two routes that connect major subway and bus transfer points. The routes were created by the MBTA in 1994.^[1]

1–121[]

A #1 bus at MIT, Cambridge

#7, #11, and SL4 buses at South Station

A #39 bus on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain

A bus on the #43 route, one of the last to be converted from streetcar to bus, stands alongside an SL5 bus on Tremont Street

A #59 bus stopped in Needham Center

A Boston Elevated Railway bus on either the #60 or since-discontinued #58 route arrives at Kenmore Square in the 1940s

A #70 bus at Central Square, Waltham in 2016

A #77A trolleybus on Massachusetts Avenue in 1967

A #77 bus on Mount Auburn Street in 2019

A #91 bus on Washington Street

A #101 bus on Main Street in Somerville

A #112 bus at Mystic Mall in Chelsea with an SL3 bus approaching at rear

These routes provide almost all local service in the core of the metropolitan area; most were originally Boston Elevated Railway streetcar routes. They were originally numbered roughly clockwise from southeast to northeast, with 4 the furthest south in South Boston and 121 the furthest north (roughly) in East Boston. The BERy folded into the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1947, and the M.T.A. in turn was reorganized as the MBTA in 1964. Despite some changes, including minor routes being merged into trunk routes, the core service network has remained roughly intact since the BERy eta. Several new routes, including the 1, 5, and 47, have been added during the M.T.A. and MBTA eras.^[1]

Seven routes – the 52, 59, 62, 67, 70, 70A, and 76 – serve more distant western suburbs, such as Belmont, Lexington, and Needham; most were acquired from the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway in 1972, and subsequently renumbered using previously discontinued designations.^[1]

Fifteen of these routes (those with the highest ridership in the system) are designated as key bus routes; they supplement the subway system to provide frequent service to the densest areas of the city. Key bus routes typically operate at higher frequencies than their undesignated cousins, and in March 2014 their hours of service were extended until 2:30AM on Friday and Saturday nights along with the rapid transit system.^[2] In mid-2015, late-night service on some key bus routes was cut back, while other routes were dropped from late-night service. Key bus routes are designated on this list with an *.

Route	Note	Description	MBTA link
1	*	Harvard Square–Nubian station	Link
4		North Station–Tide Street	Link
7		City Point–Otis Street & Summer Street	Link
8		Harbor Point–Kenmore station	Link
9		City Point–Copley station	Link
10		City Point–Copley Square	Link
11		City Point–Bedford Street & Chauncy Street	Link
14		Roslindale Square–Heath Street	Link
15	*	Fields Corner station or Kane Square–Ruggles station	Link
16		Forest Hills station–Andrew station or Harbor Point	Link
17		Fields Corner station–Andrew station	Link
18		Ashmont station–Andrew station	Link
19		Fields Corner station–Kenmore or Ruggles station	Link
21		Ashmont station–Forest Hills station	Link
22	*	Ashmont station–Ruggles station via Talbot Ave	Link
23		Ashmont station–Ruggles station via Washington Street	Link
24	M	Wakefield Avenue & Truman Parkway–Mattapan station	Link
26		Ashmont station–Norfolk Street Loop	Link
27	N	Mattapan station–Ashmont station	Link
28	* ^	Mattapan station–Ruggles station	Link
29		Mattapan station–Jackson Square station	Link
30		Mattapan station–Forest Hills station via Cummins Highway and Roslindale Square	Link
31		Mattapan station–Forest Hills station via Morton Street	Link
32	*	Wolcott or Cleary Square–Forest Hills station	Link
33		River Street & Milton Street–Mattapan station	Link
34		Dedham Mall or Dedham Line–Forest Hills station	Link
34E		Walpole Center–Forest Hills station	Link
35		Dedham Mall or Stimson Street–Forest Hills station	Link
36		Millennium Park or VA Hospital–Forest Hills station	Link
37		Baker Street & Vermont Street–Forest Hills station	Link
38		Wren Street–Forest Hills station	Link
39	* ^	Forest Hills station–Back Bay station	Link
40		Georgetowne–Forest Hills station	Link
41		Centre Street & Eliot Street–JFK/UMass station	Link
42		Forest Hills station–Nubian station	Link
43		Ruggles station–Park Street station	Link
44		Jackson Square station–Ruggles station	Link
45		Franklin Park–Ruggles station	Link
47		Central Square, Cambridge–Broadway station	Link
50		Cleary Square–Forest Hills station	Link
51		Reservoir station–Forest Hills station	Link
52		Dedham Mall–Watertown Yard	Link
55	M	Jersey Street & Queensberry Street–Park Street station	Link
57	*	Watertown Yard–Kenmore station	Link
57A	N	Oak Square–Kenmore station	Link
59		Needham Junction–Watertown Square	Link
60		Chestnut Hill–Kenmore station	Link
61		North Waltham–Waltham Center	Link
62	M	Bedford VA Hospital–Alewife station	Link
64		Oak Square–University Park or Kendall/MIT station	Link
65		Brighton–Kenmore station	Link
66	*	Harvard Square–Nubian station via Allston	Link
67		Turkey Hill–Alewife station	Link
68		Harvard Square–Kendall/MIT station	Link
69		Harvard Square–Lechmere station	Link
70		Market Place Drive or Waltham Center–University Park	Link
71	*	Watertown Square–Harvard station	Link
72	N	Aberdeen Avenue–Harvard station	Link
73	*	Waverley Square–Harvard Station	Link
74		Belmont Center–Harvard via Concord Avenue	Link
75		Belmont Center–Harvard via Huron Avenue	Link
76	M	Lincoln Lab–Alewife station	Link
77	*	Arlington Heights–Harvard station	Link
78		Arlmont Village–Harvard station	Link
79	N	Arlington Heights–Alewife station	Link
80		Arlington Center–Lechmere station	Link
83		Rindge Avenue–Central Square, Cambridge	Link
84	N	Arlmont Village–Alewife station	Link
85		Spring Hill–Kendall/MIT station	Link
86		Sullivan Square station–Reservoir station	Link
87		Clarendon Hill or Arlington Center–Lechmere station	Link
88		Clarendon Hill–Lechmere station	Link
89		Clarendon Hill or Davis station–Sullivan Square station	Link
90		Davis station–Assembly Row	Link
91		Sullivan Square station–Central Square, Cambridge	Link
92		Sullivan Square station–Downtown via Main Street	Link
93		Sullivan Square station–Downtown via Bunker Hill Street	Link
94		Medford Square–Davis station	Link
95		West Medford or Arlington Center–Sullivan Square station	Link
96		Medford Square–Harvard station	Link
97		Malden Center station–Wellington station	Link
99		Woodland Road–Wellington station	Link
100		Elm Street–Wellington station	Link
101		Malden Center station–Sullivan Square station via Winter Hill	Link
104		Malden Center station–Sullivan Square station via Ferry Street	Link
105		Malden Center station–Sullivan Square station via Newland Street Housing	Link
106		Lebanon Loop–Wellington station	Link
108		Linden Square–Wellington station	Link
109		Linden Square–Sullivan Square station	Link
110		Wonderland station–Wellington station	Link
111	*	Woodlawn–Haymarket station	Link
112		Wellington station–Wood Island station	Link
114		Market Basket–Maverick station	Link
116	*	Wonderland station–Maverick station via Revere Street	Link
117	*	Wonderland station–Maverick station via Beach Street	Link
119		Northgate Shopping Center–Beachmont station	Link
120		Orient Heights station–Jeffries Point	Link
121		Wood Island station–Maverick station	Link

131–137[]

A #131 bus passing Melrose Highlands station

Numbers from 131 to 137 operate in the Melrose area; their routings are based on routes operated as part of the former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, which was folded into the MBTA system in 1968. The 136 and 137 were briefly operated as far as Lowell and Lawrence, their original Eastern Mass terminals, while under MBTA control. The 132 was a Service Bus Lines route which was not operated by the MBTA until 1975.^[1]

170–171[]

A Dudley-bound route 170 bus (signed NO STOPS) at Back Bay station in 2017

170 and 171 are special low-service routes, the 170 a variant of the 70 introduced in 1968 and the 171 a replacement for early morning CT3 service when it was cut back from Logan Airport in 2002. Other numbers in the 170s were used for largely short-lived routes serving industrial areas.^[1]

191–194[]

Routes from 191 to 194 are single round trips in the early morning, mainly meant for subway fare collectors but open to the public. They were introduced by the M.T.A. in 1960.^[1]

195[]

Route 195 is a special low-service route not open to the general public nor shown on MBTA maps. It connects downtown Boston with the homeless shelter at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital. Until September 2015, the route was numbered 277 to match routes 274-276 (which connected downtown Boston to the Long Island Health Campus and were suspended due to the closure of Long Island Bridge in October 2014.)^[1]

201–202[]

The 20 belt route was created by the M.T.A. in 1962 as a combination of the 20 and 21 stub routes inherited from BERy. In 2005, the MBTA redesignated the two directions of the loop as the 201 and 202 to avoid confusion about which way each bus ran.^[1]

210–245[]

These routes operate in the Quincy area. Routes 210-245 are based on routes originally operated by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (folded into the MBTA in 1968) which mostly ran into Fields Corner station. When the Red Line's Braintree Branch opened in the 1970s, these routes were rerouted to terminate at the new rapid transit stations (principally Quincy Center).^[1]

A #214 bus (with #230 and #211 buses behind) at Quincy Center station

A #225 bus at Quincy Center station

325–326[]

A #326 bus in Medford in July 2015

These routes operate express between Medford and downtown Boston. They were introduced by the MBTA in June 1973.^[1]

350–354[]

A #354 bus in Woburn

These routes operate in the Burlington area. They are the remains of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway's Lowell Division, which was inherited intact by the MBTA in 1968 and gradually declined thereafter.^[1]

411–465[]

These routes operate in the Lynn area and the North Shore. Two routes that run to Haymarket have weekend short-turn variants (labeled with a W suffix) that terminate at Wonderland. The 411 and 430 were Service Bus Lines routes that were acquired by the MBTA in 1975; the other routes are largely Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes acquired in 1968.^[1]

A route 430 bus leaving Malden Center station

A route 451 bus on Route 1A in Salem

501–558[]

These routes operate express between Newton and downtown Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). The 500 series routes were created by the MBTA in the 1960s to take advantage of the newly constructed turnpike extension into Boston. The 550 series routes were Middlesex and Boston Street Railway routes to Newton Corner that were extended to downtown Boston in the 1960s and taken over by the MBTA in 1972.^[1]

A #504 bus on Stuart Street in 2019

Privately operated routes[]

An MBTA bus operated by Paul Revere Transportation running on the #713 route at Orient Heights station in 2018

The MBTA provides partial subsidy for some suburban routes outside its usual service area that connect with MBTA bus, subway, or commuter rail service. Routes 710-716 are radial commuter routes that accept MBTA passes on CharlieTickets only; they were taken over from various private operators (Hudson Bus Lines for the 710 and 716, Rapid Transit Inc. for the 712/713, and Nantasket Transportation for the 714).^[1]

The non-numbered routes (listed here by their designator on MBTA maps) are local circulator services founded by the municipalities with partial MBTA subsidy.^[1] All are operated by private companies under contract, except for the Beverly Shuttle which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MBTA bus routes.

• MBTA – Bus schedules and maps
• MBTA – System maps