List of MBTA bus routes
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.
Silver Line
The Silver Line is a bus rapid transit system marketed as rapid transit. It is divided into two branches: Waterfront service (SL1, SL2, 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 Sl1 and SL2 in 2005 when dual-mode buses became available. The SL4 was introduced in 2009 as a replacement for the canceled Phase III tunnel.[1]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
SL1 | Logan Airport - South Station | Link |
SL2 | Design Center - South Station | Link |
Shuttle | Silver Line Way - South Station | Link |
SL4 | Dudley Station - South Station at Essex Street | Link |
SL5 | Dudley Station - Downtown Crossing at Temple Place | Link |
Crosstown
The crosstown (CT) buses provide limited-stop service on three routes that connect major subway and bus transfer points. The routes were created by the MBTA in 1994.[1]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
CT1 | Central Square, Cambridge - B.U. Medical Center/Boston Medical Center via M.I.T. | Link |
CT2 | Sullivan Station - Ruggles Station via Kendall/MIT | Link |
CT3 | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Andrew Station via B.U. Medical Center | Link |
1-121
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 | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
1* | Harvard/Holyoke Gate - Dudley Station via Massachusetts Avenue | Link |
4 | North Station - World Trade Center via Federal Courthouse & South Station | Link |
5 | City Point - McCormack Housing via Andrew Station | Link |
7 | City Point - Otis & Summer Streets via Summer Street & South Station | Link |
8 | Harbor Point/UMass - Kenmore Station via B.U. Medical Center & Dudley Station | Link |
9 | City Point - Copley Square via Broadway Station | Link |
10 | City Point - Copley Square via Andrew Station & B.U. Medical Center | Link |
11 | City Point - Downtown BayView Route | Link |
14 | Roslindale Square - Heath Street via Dudley Station, Grove Hall & Jackson Square Station | Link |
15* | Kane Square or Fields Corner Station - Ruggles Station via Uphams Corner | Link |
16 | Forest Hills Station - Andrew Station or UMass via Columbia Road | Link |
17 | Fields Corner Station - Andrew Station via Uphams Corner & Edward Everett Square | Link |
18 | Ashmont Station - Andrew Station via Fields Corner Station | Link |
19 | Fields Corner Station - Kenmore or Ruggles Station via Grove Hall & Dudley Station | Link |
21 | Ashmont Station - Forest Hills Station via Morton Street | Link |
22* | Ashmont Station - Ruggles Station via Talbot Avenue & Jackson Square | Link |
23* | Ashmont Station - Ruggles Station via Washington Street | Link |
24 | Wakefield Avenue & Truman Highway - Mattapan or Ashmont Station via River Street | Link |
26 | Ashmont Station - Norfolk & Morton Belt Line | Link |
27 | Mattapan Station - Ashmont Station via River Street | Link |
28* | Mattapan Station - Ruggles Station via Dudley Station | Link |
29 | Mattapan Station - Jackson Square Station via Seaver Street & Columbus Avenue | Link |
30 | Mattapan Station - Forest Hills Station via Cummins Highway & Roslindale Square | Link |
31 | Mattapan Station - Forest Hills Station via Morton Street | Link |
32* | Wolcott Square or Cleary Square - Forest Hills Station via Hyde Park Avenue | Link |
33 | Dedham Line - Mattapan Station via River Street | Link |
34 | Walpole Center or Dedham Line - Forest Hills Station via Washington Street | Link |
34E | Walpole Center - Forest Hills Station via Washington Street | Link |
35 | Dedham Mall/Stimson Street - Forest Hills Station via Belgrade Avenue & Centre Street | Link |
36 | Charles River Loop or V.A. Hospital - Forest Hills Station via Belgrade Avenue & Centre Street | Link |
37 | Baker & Vermont Streets - Forest Hills Station via Belgrade Avenue & Centre Street | Link |
38 | Wren Street - Forest Hills Station via Centre & South Streets | Link |
39* | Forest Hills Station - Back Bay Station via Huntington Avenue | Link |
40 | Georgetowne - Forest Hills Station via Washington Street & West Boundary Road | Link |
41 | Centre & Eliot Street - JFK/UMass Station via Dudley Station, Centre Street & Jackson Square Station | Link |
42 | Forest Hills Station - Dudley or Ruggles Station via Washington Street | Link |
43 | Ruggles Station - Park & Tremont Streets via Tremont Street | Link |
44 | Jackson Square Station - Ruggles Station via Seaver Street & Humboldt Avenue | Link |
45 | Franklin Park Zoo - Ruggles Station via Blue Hill Avenue | Link |
47 | Central Square, Cambridge - Broadway Station via B.U. Medical Center, Dudley Station & Longwood Medical Area | Link |
50 | Cleary Square - Forest Hills Station via Roslindale Square | Link |
51 | Cleveland Circle - Forest Hills Station via Hancock Village | Link |
52 | Dedham Mall or Charles River Loop - Watertown Yard via Oak Hill & Newton Center | Link |
55 | Jersey & Queensberry - Copley Square or Park & Tremont Street via Ipswich Street | Link |
57* | Watertown Yard - Kenmore Station via Newton Corner & Brighton Center | Link |
57A | Oak Square - Kenmore Station via Commonwealth Avenue | Link |
59 | Needham Junction - Watertown Square via Newtonville | Link |
60 | Chestnut Hill - Kenmore Station via Brookline Village & Cypress Street | Link |
62 | Bedford V.A. Hospital - Alewife Station via Lexington Center & Arlington Heights | Link |
64 | Oak Square - University Park, Cambridge or Kendall/MIT via North Beacon Street | Link |
65 | Brighton Center - Kenmore Station via Washington Street, Brookline Village & Brookline Avenue | Link |
66* | Harvard Square - Dudley Station via Allston & Brookline Village | Link |
67 | Turkey Hill - Alewife Station via Arlington Center | Link |
68 | Harvard/Holyoke Gate - Kendall/M.I.T. via Broadway | Link |
69 | Harvard/Holyoke Gate - Lechmere Station via Cambridge Street | Link |
70 | Cedarwood, Market Place Drive, or Central Square, Waltham - University Park | Link |
70A | North Waltham - University Park via Watertown Square and Central Square, Cambridge | Link |
71* | Watertown Square - Harvard Station via Mt. Auburn Street | Link |
72 | Huron Avenue - Harvard Station via Concord Avenue | Link |
73* | Waverley Square - Harvard Station via Trapelo Road | Link |
74 | Belmont Center - Harvard Station via Concord Avenue | Link |
75 | Belmont Center - Harvard Station via Concord Avenue | Link |
76 | Hanscom/Lincoln Labs - Alewife Station via Lexington Center & Civil Air Terminal | Link |
77* | Arlington Heights - Harvard Station via Massachusetts Avenue | Link |
77A | North Cambridge Carhouse - Harvard Station | Link |
78 | Arlmont Village - Harvard Station via Park Circle | Link |
79 | Arlington Heights - Alewife Station via Massachusetts Avenue | Link |
80 | Arlington Center - Lechmere Station via Medford Hillside | Link |
83 | Rindge Avenue - Central Square, Cambridge via Porter Square Station | Link |
84 | Arlmont Village - Alewife Station | Link |
85 | Spring Hill - Kendall/M.I.T. Station via Summer Street & Union Square | Link |
86 | Sullivan Square Station - Reservoir (Cleveland Circle) via Harvard/Johnston Gate | Link |
87 | Arlington Center or Clarendon Hill - Lechmere Station via Somerville Avenue | Link |
88 | Clarendon Hill - Lechmere Station via Highland Avenue | Link |
89 | Clarendon Hill or Davis Square - Sullivan Square Station via Broadway | Link |
90 | Davis Square - Wellington Station via Sullivan Square Station & Assembly Mall | Link |
91 | Sullivan Square Station - Central Square, Cambridge via Washington Street | Link |
92 | Assembly Square Mall - Downtown via Sullivan Square Station, Main Street & Haymarket Station | Link |
93 | Sullivan Square Station - Downtown via Bunker Hill Street & Haymarket Station | Link |
94 | Medford Square - Davis Square Station via West Medford & Medford Hillside | Link |
95 | West Medford - Sullivan Square Station via Mystic Avenue | Link |
96 | Medford Square - Harvard Station via George Street & Davis Square Station | Link |
97 | Malden Center Station - Wellington Station via Commercial & Hancock Streets | Link |
99 | Boston Regional Medical Center - Wellington Station via Main Street & Malden Center Station | Link |
100 | Elm Street - Wellington Station via Fellsway | Link |
101 | Malden Center Station - Sullivan Square Station via Salem Street, Main Street & Broadway | Link |
104 | Malden Center Station - Sullivan Square Station via Ferry Street & Broadway | Link |
105 | Malden Center Station - Sullivan Square Station via Newland Street Housing | Link |
106 | Lebanon Street, Malden or Franklin Square - Wellington Station via Main Street | Link |
108 | Linden Square - Wellington Station via Malden Center Station & Highland Avenue | Link |
109 | Linden Square - Sullivan Square Station via Glendale Square | Link |
110 | Wonderland or Broadway & Park Avenue - Wellington Station via Park Avenue & Woodlawn | Link |
111* | Woodlawn or Broadway & Park Avenue - Haymarket Station via Mystic River/Tobin Bridge | Link |
112 | Wellington Station - Wood Island Station via Central Avenue, Mystic Mall & Admiral's Hill | Link |
114 | Bellingham Square - Maverick Station | Link |
116* | Wonderland Station - Maverick Station via Revere Street | Link |
117* | Wonderland Station - Maverick Station via Beach Street | Link |
119 | Northgate - Beachmont Station via Revere Center & Cooledge Housing | Link |
120 | Orient Heights Station - Maverick Station via Bennington Street, Jeffries Point & Waldemar Loop | Link |
121 | Wood Island Station - Maverick Station via Lexington Street | Link |
131-137
Numbers from 131 to 137 operate in the Melrose area; they are mostly former Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes which were 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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
131 | Melrose Highlands - Malden Center Station via Oak Grove Station | Link |
132 | Redstone Shopping Center - Malden Station | Link |
134 | North Woburn - Wellington Station via Woburn Square, Winchester Center, & Meadow Glen Mall | Link |
136 | Reading Depot - Malden Station via Wakefield, Melrose & Oak Grove Station | Link |
137 | Reading Depot - Malden Station via North Avenue, Wakefield, Melrose & Oak Grove Station | Link |
170-171
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
170 | Central Square, Waltham - Dudley Square | Link |
171 | Dudley Station - Logan Airport via Andrew Station | Link |
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
191 | Mattapan - Haymarket via Ashmont, Fields Corner and Dudley Station | Link |
192 | Cleary Square - Haymarket via Forest Hills and Copley Square | Link |
193 | Watertown Yard - Haymarket via Kenmore Station | Link |
194 | Clarendon Hill - Haymarket via Sullivan Square Station | Link |
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
195 | Lemuel Shattuck Hospital - Downtown Boston via Tremont Street | |
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
201 | Fields Corner or North Quincy Station - Fields Corner via Neponset Avenue to Adams Street | Link |
202 | Fields Corner or North Quincy Station - Fields Corner via Adams Street to Neponset Avenue | Link |
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
210 | Quincy Center Station - North Quincy Station or Fields Corner Station via Hancock Street & Neponset Avenue | Link |
211 | Quincy Center Station - Squantum via Montclair & North Quincy Station | Link |
212 | Quincy Center Station - North Quincy Station via Billings Road | Link |
214 | Quincy Center Station - Germantown via Sea Street & O'Brien Towers | Link |
215 | Quincy Center Station - Ashmont Station via West Quincy & East Milton Square | Link |
216 | Quincy Center Station - Houghs Neck via Sea Street | Link |
217 | Quincy Center Station - Ashmont Station via Beale Street, Wollaston, & East Milton Square | Link |
220 | Quincy Center Station - Hingham Center via Fore River Bridge | Link |
221 | Quincy Center Station - Fort Point via Bicknell Square | Link |
222 | Quincy Center Station - East Weymouth via Bicknell Square | Link |
225 | Quincy Center - Weymouth Landing via Quincy Avenue & Shaw Street or Desmoines Road | Link |
230 | Quincy Center Station - Montello Commuter Rail Station via Holbrook & Braintree Station | Link |
236 | Quincy Center Station - South Shore Plaza via East Braintree & Braintree Station | Link |
238 | Quincy Center Station - Holbrook/Randolph Commuter Rail Station | Link |
240 | Avon Square or Holbrook/Randolph Commuter Rail Station - Ashmont Station via Crawford Square, Randolph | Link |
245 | Quincy Center Station - Mattapan Station via Quincy Hospital & Pleasant Street | Link |
325-326
These routes operate express between Medford and downtown Boston. They were introduced by the MBTA in June 1973.[1]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
325 | Elm Street, Medford - Haymarket Station via Fellsway West, Salem Street & I-93 | Link |
326 | West Medford - Haymarket Station via Playstead Road, High Street, Medford & I-93 | Link |
350-354
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
350 | North Burlington - Alewife Station via Burlington Mall | Link |
351 | Oak Park/Bedford Woods - Alewife Station via Middlesex Turnpike | Link |
352 | Burlington Express - Boston via Route 128 & I-93 | Link |
354 | Woburn Express - Boston via Woburn Sq. & I-93 | Link |
411-465
These routes operate in the Lynn area and the North Shore. Some routes that run to Haymarket have 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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
411 | Malden Center Station - Revere/Jack Satter House via Granada Highlands and Northgate | Link |
424 | Eastern Avenue & Essex Street - Haymarket | Link |
424W | Eastern Avenue & Essex Street - Wonderland Station | Link |
426 | Central Square, Lynn - Haymarket Station via Cliftondale | Link |
426W | Central Square, Lynn - Wonderland Station via Cliftondale Square | Link |
428 | Oaklandvale - Haymarket Station via Granada Highlands | Link |
429 | Northgate Shopping Center - Central Square, Lynn via Linden Square & Square One Mall | Link |
430 | Saugus Center - Malden Center Station via Square One Mall | Link |
434 | Peabody - Haymarket EXPRESS via Goodwins Circle | Link |
435 | Liberty Tree Mall - Central Square, Lynn via Peabody Square | Link |
436 | Liberty Tree Mall - Central Square, Lynn via Goodwins Circle | Link |
439 | Bass Point, Nahant - Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn | Link |
441 | Marblehead - Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn, Paradise Road & Lynnway | Link |
442 | Marblehead - Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn, Humphrey Street & Lynnway | Link |
448 | Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Paradise Road, Lynnway, & Airport | Link |
449 | Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Humphrey Street, Lynnway, & Airport | Link |
450 | Salem Depot - Haymarket | Link |
450W | Salem Depot - Wonderland Station | Link |
451 | North Beverly- Salem Depot via Cabot Street or Tozer Road | Link |
455 | Salem Depot - Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn | Link |
456 | Salem Depot - Central Square, Lynn via Highland Avenue | Link |
459 | Salem Depot - Downtown Crossing via Logan Airport & Central Square, Lynn | Link |
465 | Salem Depot - Liberty Tree Mall via Peabody & Danvers | Link |
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]
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
501 | Brighton Center - Downtown via Oak Square & Massachusetts Turnpike | Link |
502 | Watertown Yard - Copley Square (St. James Avenue at Dartmouth St.) via Newton Corner & Massachusetts Turnpike | Link |
503 | Brighton Center - Copley Square via Oak Square & Massachusetts Turnpike | Link |
504 | Watertown/Newton Corner - Downtown via Massachusetts Turnpike | Link |
505 | Central Square, Waltham - Downtown via Moody Street & Massachusetts Turnpike | Link |
553 | Roberts - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Central Square, Waltham | Link |
554 | Waverley Square - Downtown Boston | Link |
556 | Waltham Highlands - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Central Square, Waltham & Newtonville | Link |
558 | Riverside - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Turnpike | Link |
Privately operated routes
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 (except for the ex-Hudson Dedham Local Bus, which stopped receiving MBTA subsidy in 2014).[1] All are operated by private companies under contract, except for the Beverly Shuttle which is operated by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
Route | Description | MBTA link |
---|---|---|
710 | North Medford - Medford Square, Meadow Glen Mall or Wellington Station | Link |
712 | Point Shirley - Orient Heights | Link |
713 | Point Shirley - Orient Heights | Link |
714 | Pemberton Point, Hull - Station Street, Hingham | Link |
716 | Cobbs Corner - Mattapan Station | Link |
BED | Bedford Local Transit | Link |
BEV | City of Beverly Shuttle | Link |
BUR | Burlington Public Transit | Link |
DED | Dedham Local Bus | Link |
LEX | Lexington Lexpress (6 routes) | Link |
MIS | Mission Hill LINK | Link |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Belcher, Jonathan (26 December 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ↑ "Service Delivery Policy" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 13 July 2006. pp. 3, 26–27. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MBTA bus routes. |