MBTA Bus

MBTA Bus
A New Flyer XDE40 bus at Dudley Station in 2017
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[1]
Fleet 1020[1]
Daily ridership 387,815 (2013)[2]
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 several surrounding suburbs.

All buses and routes are wheelchair-accessible (see MBTA accessibility); 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 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.[3]

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 (7 normal bus routes and 10 routes replicating subway lines) until 2:30am on Friday and Saturday nights. Similar service on the key routes was operated from March 2013 to March 2014.[4] In 2017, the MBTA Board considered a proposal to run all-night service on several routes with pulsed connections at a central hub.[5]

Fleet

Active fleet

This is the current bus roster for the MBTA as of September 2018. All buses are 102 inches (260 cm) wide; most buses are 40-foot (12 m) length, while 101 are 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses.[1]

Order YearManufacturerModelPictureFleetQty.ActivePropulsionLength (ft.)Notes
2004 Neoplan USA AN440LF 4101-4128 28 28 Electric trolleybus 40
2004-2005 Neoplan USA AN440LF 0401-0593 193 191 Diesel 40 All buses overhauled by Midwest Bus
2004-2005 Neoplan USA DMA-460LF 1101-1132 32 32 Dual mode 60
  • Used for Silver Line Waterfront (SL1, SL2, and SL3) service
  • 1125-1132 owned by Massport
  • Overhauled at Maine Military Authority from 2015-2018
2006-2007 NFI D40LF 0600-0754 155 154 Diesel 40
2008 NFI D40LF 0755-0909 155 155 Diesel 40 All buses will be overhauled by Midwest Bus, with completion expected by mid-2019.[1]
2010 NFI DE60LFR 1200-1224 25 24 Hybrid 60 1222-1224 painted silver for Silver Line (Washington Street) routes
2014-2015 NFI XDE40 1400-1459 60 60 Hybrid 40
2016-2017 NFI XN40 1600-1774 175 175 CNG 40
2016-2017 NFI XDE40 1775-1924 &
3000-3005		 156 156 Hybrid 40 3000-3005 assigned to privately operated routes 712 and 713[1]
2016-2017 NFI XDE60 1250-1293 44 44 Hybrid 60 1273-1293 painted silver for Silver Line (Washington Street) routes
2018 NFI XDE60 1294 1 1 Hybrid 60
  • 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.[6]
  • Bus is currently undergoing testing.

Future

In February 2015, the MBTA was awarded a $4.14 million FTA grant to purchase five 60-foot articulated battery electric buses from New Flyer. These buses will arrive in 2019.[1][7]

In April 2017, the MBTA exercised an option from a previous order of 60-foot hybrid buses for one additional bus with extended-range electric operation intended for Silver Line Waterfront use. If tested successfully, an additional option for up to 45 hybrid buses with extended-range electric operation would be exercised to replace the dual-mode AN460LF fleet. This bus will arrive in 2018.[1][8]

Option orders for an additional 194 XDE40 hybrid buses and 200 XD40 diesel buses remain from the 2015-2017 New Flyer order.The order of 200 XD40 diesel buses will not be exercised.[1]

Order YearManufacturerModelPictureFleetQty.ActivePropulsionLength (ft.)Notes
2019-20 NFI XDE40 TBD 194 0 Hybrid 40
  • Part of an option order from the 2016-17 XDE40 fleet contract.
  • Buses to be delivered from June 2019 to September 2020 [1]
  • Would replace the entire Neoplan AN440LF fleet
2019 NFI XE60 1295-1299 5 0 Battery-Electric 60
  • Will be used to extend the fleet for the Silver Line Gateway project and test battery-electric technology
  • Buses to be delivered in 2019.

Facilities

MBTA Bus routes grouped by the facility they operate from at peak hours

MBTA buses are operated out of the facilities listed below.[1]

Name # of buses Address Routes Times of Operation
Albany Street 116 421 Albany Street, Boston 4, 8 (Dudley school trip only), 44 (Townsend & Warren School trip only), 57, 59, 60, 65, 66 (Brighton school trips only),170, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 553, 554, 556, 558, CT1, CT2, CT3 Weekday rush hours & middays only
Arborway 115 3600 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain 14, 15 (early mornings only), 21, 24, 26, 27, 28-(Some school trips only), 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 34E, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39†, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 195‡ Full-time
Cabot 195 275 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 28 (early mornings and some school trips only), 43, 44, 45, 47, 55, 57*, 59*, 65*, 66, 171, 504*, 553* Full-time
Charlestown / Bennett (Somerville) 208 21 Arlington Avenue, Charlestown 62, 64, 67, 68, 69, 70, 70A, 71**, 72, 73**, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90*, 91, 92, 93, 94*, 95*, 96*, 97*, 99*, 100*, 101, 104, 105*, 106*, 108*, 109, 110, 111, 112, 132*, 134*, 136*, 137*, 325, 326, 350, 351, 352, 411*, 430* Full-time
Fellsway 76 465 Salem Street, Medford 90, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 131, 132, 134, 136, 137, 354, 411, 430 Weekday rush hours & middays only
Lynn 96 985 Western Avenue, Lynn 114, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 424, 426, 428, 429, 434, 435, 436, 439, 441, 442, 448, 449, 450, 451, 455, 456, 459, 465 Full-time
North Cambridge 28 2375 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge 71, 72***, 73, 77A (limited service) Weekdays & Saturdays only
Quincy 80 954 Hancock Street, Quincy 201, 202, 210, 211, 212, 214, 215, 216, 217, 220, 221, 222, 225, 230, 236, 238, 240, 245 Full-time
Southampton 102 230 Southampton Street, Boston 16 (some peak/shoulder trips), 28 (early morning service from Cabot, school trips from Cabot and Arborway), 39 (evening service from Arborway), Silver Line Full-time

Notes:

  • * = Route during evenings & weekends
  • ** = Route during Sundays
  • *** = Route 72 will return to trolleybus operation out of North Cambridge in early 2019
  • † = Route during evenings
  • ‡ = 1 trip only, runs daily, serves Lemuel Shattuck Hospital

Private buses

A Blue Hill Bus Lines vehicle on the Canton - Mattapan route, now the #716 route, in 1967

Most local bus routes in Massachusetts outside the immediate MBTA operating area are operated by the state's other regional transit authorities (RTAs). However, some routes that connect with MBTA bus or subway service are operated by outside private contractors with partial subsidy by the MBTA. [9]

Five routes – the 710, 712/713, 714, and 716 – are numbered like other MBTA buses; their operators accept MBTA passes on CharlieTickets, but do not have CharlieCard readers. 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 (Hudson Bus Lines for the 710 and 716, Rapid Transit Inc. for the 712/713, and Nantasket Transportation for the 714).[4]

Five suburban municipalities contract with outside operators for local circulator routes, most with partial MBTA subsidy. Bedford, Beverly, and Dedham run single routes; Burlington runs five routes; and Lexington runs six.[4] 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.[4] Those 15 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "MBTA Vehicle Inventory". NETransit. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ↑ Tran, Andrew Ba (June 2012). "MBTA Orange Line's 111th anniversary". Boston Globe. p. 11. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Belcher, Jonathan (27 June 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Vaccaro, Adam (August 1, 2017). "MBTA may test overnight buses, Foxborough commuter rail". Boston Globe.
  6. ↑ "Baker-Polito Administration, State and Transportation Officials Celebrate the MBTA's First Extended-range Hybrid Bus in the MBTA Silver Line Fleet" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. September 26, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program Project Selections". Federal Transit Administration. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Jessen, Klark (6 October 2015). "MBTA Purchases Dozens of New, High Capacity Buses". MassDOT Blog (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
  9. ↑ "Private Bus". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
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