MBTA bus


The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates 170 bus routes in the Greater Boston area, many of which were formerly part of a large streetcar system. Some routes are for local transport within the city; others bring passengers from surrounding areas to stops on the MBTA Commuter Rail or subway lines. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than within the MBTA's service district. Much of this service is provided by bus.
The MBTA operates a four-route bus rapid transit service branded as the Silver Line, as well as three crosstown routes that were intended to become the first part of the now-suspended Urban Ring project. Fifteen routes designed as key routes run with higher frequency at all times, including extended service hours on Friday and Saturday nights over some of these routes.
Most MBTA bus service is served by diesel, compressed natural gas, and diesel-electric hybrid buses. Silver Line routes running in the Waterfront tunnel use dual-mode buses that operate as trolleybuses in the tunnel and as diesel buses on the surface. Four routes based out of the Harvard bus tunnel run with trolleybuses in Cambridge and several surrounding suburbs.
All buses and routes are wheelchair-accessible ; most of the MBTA's bus fleet consists of low-floor buses with wheelchair ramps, while older high-floor buses have lifts. All buses have LED exterior headsigns displaying route and destination, with automated audio/visual stop announcements for passengers.
After taking over operations in August 1964 from the former Metropolitan Transit Authority, the MBTA began rebranding many elements of Boston's public transportation network. After being found unsuitable in 1965 for what is now the Orange Line because it did not show up well on maps, yellow was chosen for the color of bus operations on January 8, 1972.
The Boston Elevated Railway and MTA operated overnight Owl service until 1960. From September 2001 to June 2005, the MBTA operated bus service on 17 routes until 2:30am on Friday and Saturday nights. Similar service on the key routes was operated from March 2013 to March 2014. In 2017, the MBTA Board considered a proposal to run all-night service on several routes with pulsed connections at a central hub.

Fleet

Active fleet

This is the current bus roster for the MBTA as of 2020. All buses are wide; most buses are length, while 102 are articulated buses.
Order YearManufacturerModelPictureFleetQty.ActivePropulsionLength Notes
2004Neoplan USAAN440LF4101–41282828Electric trolleybus40
  • Equipped with left-hand doors for operating into the Harvard bus tunnel
2004–2005Neoplan USAAN440LF0401–0593162104Diesel40
  • Overhauled by Midwest Bus from 2013–2015
  • To be replaced by 2019-2020 NFI XDE40 buses
    • 2004–2005Neoplan USADMA-460LF1101–11323232Dual mode60
  • Used for Silver Line Waterfront service
  • 1125–1132 owned by Massport
  • Overhauled by Maine Military Authority from 2015–2018
    • 2006–2007NFID40LF0600–0754155153Diesel40
    2008NFID40LF0756–0910155155Diesel40
  • Undergoing overhaul, to be complete in early 2020.
  • 0755 has been renumbered 0910.
    • 2010NFIDE60LFR1200–12242525Hybrid60
  • Buses to be overhauled by Northeast Bus.
  • 1222–1224 used for Silver Line routes
    • 2014–2015NFIXDE401400–14596060Hybrid40
    2016–2017NFIXN401600–1774175175CNG40
    2016–2017NFIXDE401775–1924 &3000–3005156156Hybrid40
    • 3000–3005 assigned to privately operated routes and
    2016–2017NFIXDE601250–12934444Hybrid60
  • 1273–1293 used for Silver Line Washington Street routes
    • 2018NFIXDE60129411Hybrid60
  • Part of an option to order up to 45 additional hybrid buses with extended-range electric operation to replace the current dual-mode fleet, which would not require a change of power between trackless trolley and diesel at Silver Line Way.
    • 2019NFIXE601295–129955Battery-electric60
  • Funded by 2015 FTA grant. Will be used for two years for testing battery-electric technology in Silver Line service.
    • 2019–2020NFIXDE401925–2118194162Hybrid40
  • Delivery in-progress; to last until September 2020
  • Part of an option order from the 2016–2017 XDE40 fleet contract.
  • Will replace the entire AN440LF diesel fleet

    • Future

    Sixty additional XDE40 buses, an option order from a Virginia contract, will be delivered from September to December 2020.
    Potential future orders include the 45-bus option order for extended-battery range hybrid buses. The MBTA may begin a phased 500-bus order in 2020, with delivery from 2021–2025. Under that plan, the agency would establish a continuous procurement process with 100 new buses per year, and buses retired after 12 years.

    Facilities

    MBTA buses are operated out of nine facilities. The MBTA plans to replace Quincy Garage with a larger facility near Quincy Adams station.
    NameAddressRoutesTimes of Operation
    Albany Street421 Albany Street, Boston4, 55, 57, 59, 60, 65, 170, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 553, 554, 556, 558, CT2, CT3Weekday rush hours and middays
    Arborway3600 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain14, 21, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 34E, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52Full-time
    Cabot275 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 43, 44, 45, 47, 66, 171
    Also serves routes 55, 57, 59, 65, 504, and 553 when Albany Street is closed    		Full-time
    Charlestown / Bennett 21 Arlington Avenue, Charlestown61, 62, 64, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92, 93, 101, 104, 109, 110, 111, 112, 325, 326, 350, 351, 352
    Also serves routes 90, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 132, 134, 136, 137, 411, and 430 when Fellsway Garage is closed, and routes 71 and 73 on Sundays    		Full-time
    Fellsway465 Salem Street, Medford90, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 131, 132, 134, 136, 137, 354, 411, 430Weekday rush hours and middays
    Lynn985 Western Avenue, Lynn114, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 424, 426, 428, 429, 434, 435, 436, 439, 441, 442, 450, 451, 455, 456, 465Full-time
    North Cambridge2375 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge71, 73, 77AWeekdays and Saturdays
    Quincy954 Hancock Street, Quincy201, 202, 210, 211, 212, 214, 215, 216, 217, 220, 221, 222, 225, 226, 230, 236, 238, 240, 245Full-time
    Southampton230 Southampton Street, Boston28, 39, Silver LineFull-time

    Private buses

    Most local bus routes in Massachusetts outside the immediate MBTA operating area are operated by the state's other regional transit authorities. However, some routes that connect with MBTA bus or subway service are operated by outside private contractors with partial subsidy by the MBTA.
    Five routes – the, /,, and – are numbered like other MBTA buses. The five routes are primarily commuter routes which connect with other MBTA services at their inbound terminals. They were taken over from various private operators. The 712 and 713 use MBTA-provided buses and accept Charliecards; the other routes do not.
    Four suburban municipalities contract with outside operators for local circulator routes, most with partial MBTA subsidy. Bedford and Beverly run single routes, Burlington runs five routes, and Lexington runs six. Most are run by private operators, except for the Beverly Shuttle, which is part of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority system. Additionally, a nonprofit shuttle is run in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood. Those routes appear on MBTA system maps and connect with MBTA services at designated transfer points, but are numbered separately and do not accept MBTA passes.