A New Flyer XDE40 bus on route 83 at its outbound terminal
|
|||
Parent | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | ||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | 1964 (predecessors date to 1856) | ||
Locale | Greater Boston | ||
Service area | Boston and immediate suburbs | ||
Service type | Local, limited stop, express, and Silver Line BRT | ||
Routes | 177 | ||
Fleet | 1036 | ||
Daily ridership | 387,815 (2013) | ||
Fuel type | Diesel, CNG, Electric-Trolleybus, Diesel-Electric Hybrid | ||
Operator | MBTA; private operators | ||
Website | mbta.com | ||
|
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates 177 bus routes (list of 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 (defined as 0.25 miles (0.40 km)) for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than 5,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,900/km2) 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-electric hybrid buses on the surface. Four routes based out of the Harvard Bus Tunnel run with trolleybuses in Cambridge, Massachusetts and also serve several surrounding suburbs.