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Public Transportation in America began in Boston with the very first US Subway station being the Tremont Street Station in 1897. At the time, it connected just two stops, Boylston Street Station and Scollay Square Station (now called Government Center). Obviously, the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) has expanded a lot since then. Adding in all of the other ways to get around, and traveling in Boston can be a breeze. Let’s get into all of the ways to use public transportation in Boston.
Ready to head to Boston? Here are some handy resources!
Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA)
The MBTA, known locally as just “The T” is the biggest transportation network in both the city and the region. The network now includes a network of subways, commuter trains, buses, and water ferries. As of 2022, there are 153 subway stations across 4 lines, 134 active commuter rail stations on 12 lines, 6,838 bus stops, and 3 ferry stops. This network covers most of the city, along with the eastern Massachusetts region.
Boston Public Transportation: The Subway System
There are 4 color-coded subway lines within Boston. All four lines have stations both above ground and underground. Subway train lengths range between 2 cars (Green Line) and 10 cars (Blue Line). Note, we won’t cover the Silver Line in this section. Despite it sometimes being grouped in with the subway system, it is truly a bus that partially includes an underground dedicated route, so we’ll cover it in the bus section.
Check Out Each Color Line
Orange Line – Starts north of Boston in Malden at the Oak Grove station, passes through downtown, and ends southwest of the city at the Forest Hills station. Some notable stops along the way are Chinatown, Community College, Downtown Crossing, Government Center, South Station, & Tufts Medical Center.
Red Line – Starts northwest of Boston in Cambridge at the Alewife station and ends southeast of the city in Quincy at either the Braintree or Ashmont stations. Some notable stops along the way are Harvard, MIT, MGH, Downtown Crossing, South Station, and JFK/UMass.
Blue Line – Starts northeast of the city in Revere at the Wonderland station, passes on the north side of downtown, ending at the Bowdoin station in Boston. Some notable stops are Revere Beach, Airport, Aquarium, and Government Center.
Green Line – The Green Line can be the most confusing of them as it has four lettered lines within it. All four lines start at different points in Boston. Line B begins at Boston College in Boston and ends at the Government Center station in Boston. C Line begins at the Cleveland Circle Station in Boston and ends at the Government Center Station in Boston. Line D starts at Riverside Station in Boston and ends at Union Square Station in Somerville. Finally, Line E starts at the Health Street Station in Boston and ends at the Medford/Tufts station in Medford.
Navigating The Green Line
Keep an eye out for every approaching green line train for its letter. It’ll be displayed on both the front and side of each train. Not every train will go where you want to go. Also, even though the display boards will say that a certain letter train is coming next, it’s often incorrect. Always check the train display to ensure that it’s going where you want to go.
A few more notes about the green line. The stations range from elevated stations above the road level to underground stations but also include road-level stops. More specifically, the stations are just platforms between the two sides of the roadway. At these road-level stations, there is no place to swipe your CharlieCard or Ticket to get onto the platform. Instead, you’ll need to enter the front of the subway car and pay your fare onboard the subway. The green line trains also have a significant part of their route on main roadways and have to contend with traffic lights, traffic, and pedestrians. So, that makes it one of the more inconsistent lines as far as scheduled service goes. It also takes much longer to get from place A to B than those with dedicated routes, at least beyond Kenmore or Symphony.
Transferring Lines
If you need to transfer lines, there are 4 main stations in which you can do it. Only two lines, blue and red don’t connect directly and require two transfers. Remember that transferring between lines doesn’t cost any additional as long as you don’t leave the station past the turnstiles.
| To transfer between the … | To the … | Switch at … |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Line | Orange Line | State Street Station |
| Blue Line | Green Line | Government Center |
| Blue Line | Silver Line | Airport Station |
| Blue Line | Water Taxi / Water Ferry | Aquarium |
| Orange Line | Green Line | North Station or Haymarket |
| Orange Line | Blue Line | State Street Station |
| Orange Line | Red Line | Downtown Crossing |
| Orange Line | Silver Line | Downtown Crossing |
| Orange Line | Amtrak – Northbound Trains | North Station |
| Red Line | Green Line | Park Street Station |
| Red Line | Orange Line | Downtown Crossing |
| Red Line | Silver Line | Downtown Crossing or South Station |
| Red Line | Amtrak – Southbound Trains | South Station |
| Green Line | Red Line | Park Street Station |
| Green Line | Blue Line | Government Center |
| Green Line | Orange Line | Haymarket or North Station |
| Green Line | Silver Line | Boylston |
| Green Line | Amtrak – Northbound Trains | North Station |
Important Stops
- Harvard Station – Middle of Harvard University
- Kendal/MIT – Near Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Charles/MGH – Near Massachusetts General Hospital
- Downtown Crossing – In downtown, near shopping areas
- South Station – Transfer Point for all Southbound Amtrak trains & Southbound Commuter Rail trains
- JFK/UMass – Near the University of Massachusetts
- Science Park/West End – Near the Museum of Science
- North Station – Transfer point for all Northbound Amtrak Trains & Northbound Commuter Rail trains, TD Stadium
- Government Center – Near Boston City Hall
- Copley – Near the Boston Library and Boston Marathon Finish Line
- Prudential – Basement of the Prudential Mall Shopping Center
- Longwood Medical Area – Near Longwood and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals
- BU East & BU Central – Across from Boston Universities Main Campus
- Fenway – Just down the street from Fenway Park; Home of the Boston Red Sox
- Tufts Medical Center – Located near Tufts Medical Center
- Chinatown – Located just outside of Boston’s Chinatown
- Wellington – With a free shuttle to the Encore Casino and Hotel
- Aquarium – Located near the Boston Aquarium. The closest stop to North End.
- Airport – With a free Shuttle to all 4 Airport Terminals
- Wonderland – With an overpass bridge directly to Revere Beach.
- World Trade Center – Closest stop to the Boston Convention Center
Boston Public Transportation: The Bus System
Silver Line – Often grouped in as a Subway Line, the Silver Line is an electric/diesel hybrid bus that has its own dedicated roads. So, this means that you get the efficiency of a subway line on a bus. The bus stops are also designed more like subway stations than bus stops with turnstiles for entry, some of which are even underground like subway lines.
Similar to the green line, there are 5 lines, but this time each is designated with a number, SL1 through SL5. SL1 starts at the airport and does all 4 terminals before heading into Boston, turning around at South Station. This is the easiest way to get from the airport to the convention center. SL2 starts at South Station and does a big loop around the Seaport area. SL3 starts in Chelsea and ends at South Station. SL4 & SL5 both start at Nubian, with SL4 doing a loop that includes South Station and Chinatown Gate. SL5 does the opposite direction, hitting Downtown Crossing and Boylston.
The Silver Line Buses are the ones that cover Southie, which is not South End despite the similar sounding names.
MBTA Bus Network
The MBTA Bus network includes 6,838 bus stops on 171 distinct bus routes. The bus network covers all of the city of Boston, along with nearby towns including Revere, Cambridge, Everett, Quincy, Medford, and others.
Obviously, there are too many lines and stops to address even most of them. But, I’ll give you at least the basics of the numbering system, so you can identify likely where a bus might be going. Buses numbered 1 to 202 are generally inside the city of Boston, starting with the lowest numbers in South Boston and the highest in East Boston. Buses in the 200 range are generally Quincy buses. 300 buses are in the Northwest Suburbs. Most of the 400 buses cover the Lynn area. The 500 buses are express buses between Newton and the Mass Pike. Buses numbered over 600 are special service buses; either for special events or replacement buses for subway lines. The only exception is the night buses that use a 700 number, with a suffix of N, which are public buses that run overnight.
Getting Downtown on the MBTA Buses
If you’re looking to get around downtown, there are 7 buses that have stops in downtown Boston: 7, 11, 43, 93, 501, 504, 505. But, the easiest way to get anywhere using the bus system is to use the Boston MBTA Website with its trip finder feature.
For any of the buses, you’ll need to get to the front entrance, tap your Charlie Card, insert your ticket, or pay directly at the pay station. Most buses have brochures that list their stops, or a digital display indicating what the next stop is. You may need to push a stop bar to indicate your stop for some flag stops. The drivers are generally friendly, so you can ask questions if you aren’t sure if the bus that you’re on goes to your destination and how to indicate that you want to get off at that stop.
Charlie Cards & Tickets
To ride the MBTA (buses, subway, or even some commuter rail routes), you’ll need either a CharlieCard or a CharlieTicket. You can easily get these from vending machines at nearly every MBTA Subway station. There are also a variety of retail locations that pass out CharlieCards, including a dedicated CharlieCard Store, located at 7 Chauncy St, Boston, MA, between the Orange and Red Line platforms. You can also order CharlieCards online to be mailed to you. Along with being able to get them on some Amtrak trains.
There are two different versions of passes that you can purchase. Either a stored value, in which every trip is deducted from the card until it’s empty and needs refilled. Stored value cards can be used by multiple people just by passing them back to the next person to swipe. Of course, just confirm that there is enough value for everybody to pass through. There are generally vending machines at most MBTA Subway stations that will allow you to add value using either cash or credit/debit card as needed.
You can also add a daily, weekly, or monthly unlimited pass. These cannot be used by more than one person, with a control that prevents you from using the pass twice within a ten-minute period. These passes are worth it if you plan on using the subway or buses as a primary method of transportation. The active period begins from the first time you swipe a CharlieCard at a subway station or on a bus, but a CharlieTicket timeframe starts from when you purchase the ticket.
Boston Public Transportation: Water Ferry
If you’re looking to get across the water, the MBTA also runs three ferry routes with 8 stops in the Boston Harbor. The routes include stops in East Boston (near the airport), Charleston, Long Wharf, and then some stops down in Hingham and Hull. Some routes are only seasonable, but otherwise, they run every day. Fares range between $2.70 and $9.75 each way. You’ll need to use the mTicket App or paper tickets as they don’t accept Charlie Cards or Tickets.
Another way to enjoy the Boston Harbor is by doing a Harbor Cruise!
How do I calculate how much my trip will cost?
If you’re traveling by subway, it’ll cost $2.40 in total, or $4.80 for the round trip. Remember that transfers between subway lines are free as long as you don’t leave the station. In addition to subways, Bus Routes SL1, SL2, and SL3 are priced at the subway rate of $2.40 per trip.
If you’re traveling by local bus, it’ll cost $1.70 each way, with up to two transfers included. If you transfer from a bus to an express bus or subway, you’ll only pay the highest one of the fares. For an express bus, expect to pay $4.25 each way. SL4 and SL5 are billed as local bus routes.
To hop on a Water Ferry, expect to pay between $2.40 to $9.75 depending on the route. Also note that they only accept tickets via the mTicket App, paper tickets, or cash. They do not accept CharlieCards or CharlieTickets.
Unlimited Passes
Unlimited passes can be used on any Subway Line, all Local Buses, All Silver Line Buses, Commuter Rail 1A Zones, and the East Boston and Charleston Ferries.
- 1-Day Pass – Valid for 24 Hours: $11.00
- 7-Day Pass – Valid for 7 Days: $22.50
- Monthly Pass – Valid for 1 Calendar Month: $90.00
What are Peak and Off-Peak Hours on the MBTA?
Although the official peak hours for Boston Public Transportation are 7:00 am to 9:30 am and 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm on weekdays, you’ll find that the trains and buses can be busy well outside of these hours. If there is a big concert in town, a big sporting event, or even just a beautiful weekend weather day, the trains and buses can get full. During peak times, the MBTA often has more trains and buses running, coming more often to try to minimize both the trains and the platforms from becoming too full.
Boston Public Transportation: The Patriot Train
In addition to the usual commuter rail trains that cover all of the areas outside of Boston, they also have a special “Patriot Train.” The Patriot Train goes directly to Foxboro Station, just a short walk from Gilette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots. Gilette Stadium also hosts a number of concerts and other events.
On event days, the train will take you up to the event and back for $20 round-trip. The trains travel both from South Station and Providence, RI to Foxboro. Trains generally arrive about an hour before the sporting event or concert and leave Foxboro about 30 minutes after the event or concert ends. Note that other commuter rail passes, including the unlimited weekend passes cannot be used on this special Patriot Train.
Ride the Commuter Rail to some of these great Small Towns in Massachusetts!
Why is it called a Charlie Card?
Based on a song, called “Charlie on the MTA,” the name Charlie was chosen to represent the MBTA. If you look at many of the advertisements, posters, and even the cards themselves, they have an image of a cartoon man, who represents Charlie. Ironically, the song was written in protest of the 1948 exit fare and was not complimentary of the MBTA at all. It was made popular in 1959 as a folk song by the Kingston Trio.
Contacting the MBTA
You can call the Information & Support Line for assistance between 6:30 AM and 8:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM on weekends. They can be reached at 617-222-3200. In an emergency, you can reach transit police 24/7 at 617-222-1212. You can also email customer support with questions, comments, or even compliments.
The MBTA Website has lots of helpful resources including schedules, trip planners, and alerts that include delays and scheduled maintenance.
Finally, and a favorite of Boston locals, is their Twitter account. Not only does the MBTA use this method to post official alerts, such as delays, substitutions, and planned changes, but the locals do as well. You’ll often see plenty of people posting about crowded trains, stations, or delayed trains, often before the official notifications. Boston locals, being who they are, often take to the official MBTA Twitter to roast them for their mistakes, and sometimes the responses and memes can be hilarious.
Boston Public Transportation: Boston Water Taxi
With three taxis, covering 18 stops between Downtown, North End, Seaport, Fort Point, Charleston, and East Boston. All of the stops are about 15 minutes apart, and it’s a fun and convenient way to get between the parts of Boston along the water. The water taxi costs $20 per trip for adults, and $10 for children under 12.
All of the stops are “on-demand” and thus they don’t have a published schedule. To get picked up at any one of their stops, give them a call at 617-406-8584 or schedule a pickup online. In addition to the regular water taxi service, they have a harbor experience tour, and even have luggage storage at one of their docks.
The taxis run year-round, in nearly all weather conditions. They are covered, heated, and comfortable even in bad weather. The taxis also allow you to bring your furry friend along at no additional cost. During the summer and fall months, they operate 8 AM to 8 PM daily, and 8 AM to 5 PM the rest of the year.
Boston Public Transportation: Taxis & Ride Share
Boston has a number of taxi services that run 24/7 to ensure that you can get anywhere in the city that you’d like to go. In more commercial areas, it’s often very easy to flag down a taxi by simply waving one down that’s passing on your side of the street. The lights and signs on top of the taxi will generally tell you if it’s currently occupied or not.
If you’re not in a commercial area, below is a list of phone numbers for the most popular taxi services in Boston. In 2015, a study found that taxis were on average 20% less expensive than ride-sharing programs, especially with the more common short-distance trips. They, of course, lack the convenience of ride-sharing apps, but they can be very convenient if you see them lined up outside of your location.
Common Taxi Services in Boston
- Boston Logan Taxi Cab – 617-499-4800
- Boston Cab – 617-536-5010
- City Cab – 617-536-5100
- ITOA – 617-825-4000
- Metro Cab – 617-242-8000
- 617TaxiCab – 617-829-4222
- Independent Cab – 617-267-1313
Of course, there are all of the usual ride-sharing companies in Boston: Uber & Lyft. But, Boston also has a few specialty services as well such as Blacklane, Zemcar, Arro, and Curb. Blacklane is essentially an on-demand chauffeur, commonly for airport pickups, but with chauffeur prices. Curb and Arro allow you to call a taxi in about the same way that you would call an Uber.
Even though Boston is very walkable, there are times when you just want a ride to get around, and the taxis and ride-sharing options make it easy to get and pay for a ride.
If you’re hailing a cab already, maybe you’ll want to hit some of our favorite places to eat in Boston.
Boston Public Transportation: Bike Share Program
Boston is one of the few US cities that has a publicly-owned bike share program. There are currently over 4,000 bikes in the system at over 400 stations in 13 municipalities. Available 24 hours a day, they can make a quick and easy way to get anywhere in the city. But they can also be a fun way to explore the city in a green and healthy way.
For a monthly fee ranging between $10.75 to $29.00. For income-eligible riders, there is a discounted plan for $5 a month or $50 a year. With the monthly pass, you get unlimited trips of 45 minutes or less and only $2.50 for each additional 30 minutes. They also have an adventure pass for $10 that works for 24 hours and gives you up to 2 hours of riding time. Or a single trip without membership is only $2.95 for a 30-minute trip.
The system is easy to use, either with the app or at the stations themselves. Just pick up a bike at any one of the stations, ride it, and drop it off at any other station anywhere within the system.
Hop On / Hop Off Trolleys
Okay, not exactly Boston public transportation, but still an incredibly cool way to see the city and learn more about its history. There are a number of different Hop-On/Hop-Off tours in Boston, including this one with 14 stops. There is also a ghosts and gravestones tour that occurs in the evening.
Beyond the history and stories shared on the tours, it’s also a good way to get around the city. Because you can hop on and hop off, you can use it to get around to the most popular sites in the city. Personally, Daphne and I use hop-on/hop-off busses in nearly every city that we go to as a way to explore, learn more about the most popular sites, and learn more about the history of the place that we’re visiting.
Driving & Parking
Boston is a city with heavy traffic, which unfortunately makes getting around by car difficult. I would recommend using one of the many public transportation options listed above before I would recommend renting a car or driving in the city. You can spend significantly more time sitting in traffic than you would if you used other mass transit options.
But, if you do decide to drive around, you will find lots of parking garages in the area. Just note that these parking garages can be expensive. There is street parking, but in many residential neighborhoods, you’ll need a parking permit. In those more commercial areas, street parking does have some restrictions and often costs.
If you really are interested in driving in Boston, read all about it in this article focused exclusively on the topic.
Walking Tours of Boston
Boston is a very walkable city. And as such, there are a lot of walking tours of Boston. It can be a new way to find hidden gems in Boston. Like most things in historic Boston, they do walking tours in full costume. Depending on what part of Boston you want to see, many options exist. You could consider a walking tour of the historic freedom trail, or maybe Harvard Campus, or the North End Walking Tour with added stops for local food.
Spend an afternoon walking around Boston. I am confident that you won’t regret it.
Wrapping Up: Public Transportation In Boston
Boston is a really cool city, and absolutely worth the visit. Like most big cities, they’ve done a great job making sure that you can get where you’re going. Between trains, buses, ferries, taxis, and even more options, there are so many ways to get around the city. Both, simply to get somewhere else, or to learn more about the history and stories of this incredible city.
So, come visit. Explore the city. If you get lost, there are plenty of Boston locals who will point you in the right direction.
