MBTA Bus

MBTA Bus

A NABI 40LFW bus leaving Ruggles station on Route 47
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	178^[1]
Fleet	1,052^[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 178 bus routes (list of routes) in the Greater Boston area, many of which are 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 service. 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 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.

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 amber (orange) colored LED exterior headsigns displaying route and destination, with automated audio/visual stop announcements for passengers.

Fleet

Active fleet

This is the current bus roster for the MBTA as of April 21, 2016. All buses are 102 inches (260 cm) wide; most are standard-length 40-foot (12 m) length while some are 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses.^[1]^[3]

Order Year	Manufacturer	Model	Fleet	Qty.	Active	Powertrain (Engine/Transmission)	Propulsion	Length (ft.)	Notes
1994	TMC	RTS T80206	0001-0138	138	18	Series 50/Allison VR731	Diesel	40
1995	NovaBus	RTS T80206	0139-0400	262	46	Series 50/Allison VR731	Diesel	40
2003-2004	NABI	40-LFW	2001-2299	299	297	Cummins C Gas Plus/Allison WB-400R	CNG	40	Will be retired by early-mid 2017
2003-2004	Neoplan USA	AN460LF	1001-1044	44	38	Series 60G/Allison WB-500R	CNG	60	#1001-1020 & #1030 wrapped for Silver Line Will be retired by early 2017
2004	Neoplan USA	AN440LF	4101-4128	28	28	Skoda	Electric trolleybus	40	Buses are equipped with left-hand doors for operating into the Harvard Bus Tunnel
2004-2005	Neoplan USA	AN440LF	0401-0593	193	192	Caterpillar C9/Allison WB-400R	Diesel	40	#0488 was repowered with a Cummins ISL engine as a test
2004-2005	Neoplan USA	AN460LF	1101-1132	32	32	Series 60/Skoda	Dual mode	60	In Silver Line service #1125-1132 owned by Massport
2006-2007	NFI	D40LF	0600-0754	155	155	Cummins ISL\Allison WB-400R	Diesel	40	#0676 & #0700 are equipped with AXION signage
2008	NFI	D40LF	0755-0909	155	155	Cummins ISL\Allison WB-400R	Diesel	40
2010	NFI	DE60LFR	1200-1224	25	25	Cummins ISL9\Allison EP-50 HybriDrive	Hybrid	60	#1222-1224 wrapped for Silver Line routes SL4 & SL5 #1207 wrecked in 2011, has not returned to service
2014-2015	NFI	XDE40	1400-1459	60	60	Cummins ISB6.7/BAE HybriDrive Series-E	Hybrid	40
2016-2017	NFI	XDE60	1250-1293	44	0	Cummins ISL9/BAE HybriDrive Series-E	Hybrid	60	Delivery beginning in mid-2016, lasting until early 2017 To replace all 2003-04 Neoplan AN460LF
2016-2017	NFI	XN40	1600-1774	175	0	Cummins Westport ISL G/Allison B400R	CNG	40	Delivery beginning in July 2016, lasting until June 2017 To replace remaining NABI's
2016-2017	NFI	XDE40	1775-1924	150	0	Cummins ISB6.7/BAE HybriDrive Series-E	Hybrid	40	Delivery beginning in July 2016, lasting until June 2017

Future

On June 29, 2015, the MassDOT board approved the purchase of 325 new 40-foot buses (175 CNG-powered and 150 hybrid) from New Flyer, with options for an additional 200 hybrid buses and 200 diesel buses. The 325 buses, costing a total of $222.2 million, will be delivered in 2016 and 2017 following the acceptance of a production test model. They will replace the remaining C40LF and 40-LFW fleets.^[1]^[4]

On October 5, 2015, the MBTA Fiscal Control Board approved the purchase of 44 new 60-foot articulated hybrid buses from New Flyer to replace the CNG-powered Neoplan AN460LF fleet. The contract will include an option for an additional hybrid bus with extended range electric-only operation for Silver Line Waterfront use. If tested successfully, an additional option for 45 hybrid buses with extended range electric operation would be exercised to replace the dual-mode AN460LF fleet.^[1]^[5]

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.^[1]^[6]

In 2016, the MBTA will place a 40-foot hydrogen fuel cell bus provided by the FTA into service.^[1]

Facilities

Geographic map of all MBTA Bus services, including private carrier routes

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

Name	Address	Routes	Operation
Albany Street	421 Albany Street, Boston	4 ,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	3600 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain	14, 21, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 34E, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39†, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 195‡	Full-time
Cabot	275 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston	1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 43, 44, 45, 47, 55, 57, 59, 65, 66, 171, 504, 553*	Full-time
Charlestown	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-(some peak trips from Fellsway), 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 132, 134, 136, 137, 325, 326, 350, 351, 352, 411, 430*	Full-time
Fellsway	465 Salem Street, Medford	94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 105, 106-(Melrose peak trips only), 108, 131, 132, 134, 136, 137, 354, 411, 430	Weekday rush hours & middays only
Lynn	985 Western Avenue, Lynn	114, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 424, 426, 428, 429, 431, 434, 435, 436, 439, 441, 442, 448, 449, 450, 451, 455, 456, 459, 465	Full-time
North Cambridge	2375 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge	71, 77A-(limited service)	Weekdays & Saturdays only
Quincy	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	230 Southampton Street, Boston	16-(most service from Cabot), 28, 39-(evening service from Arborway), Silver Line BRT	Full-time

Notes:

* = Route during evenings & weekends
** = Route during Sundays
† = Route during evenings
‡ = Private route for Long Island
Routes 28 and 39 are operated out of Cabot in the event of a winter storm.

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. ^[7]

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).^[8]

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.^[8] 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.^[8] 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 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "MBTA Vehicle Inventory". NETransit. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
↑ Capital Investment Program FY2008 — FY2012 (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
↑ Jessen, Klark (29 June 2015). "MassDOT Board Approves Contract for 325 New MBTA Buses" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
↑ Jessen, Klark (6 October 2015). "MBTA Purchases Dozens of New, High Capacity Buses". MassDOT Blog (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
↑ "Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program Project Selections". Federal Transit Administration. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
↑ "Private Bus". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
1 2 3 Belcher, Jonathan (27 June 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 9 July 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MBTA Bus Operations.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Subway lines
(List of stations)

Heavy rail	Blue Orange Red

Light rail	Green "B" Branch "C" Branch "D" Branch "E" Branch Ashmont–Mattapan

Former lines	Arborway Line Atlantic Avenue Elevated Causeway Street Elevated Charlestown Elevated Green Line "A" Branch Washington Street Elevated

Commuter
Rail lines
(List of stations)

North Station lines	Fitchburg Haverhill (Wildcat Branch) Lowell Newburyport/Rockport

South Station lines	Fairmount Framingham/Worcester Franklin Greenbush Needham Old Colony (Kingston/Plymouth Middleborough/Lakeville CapeFLYER) Providence/Stoughton

Former lines	Central Mass Branch Dedham Branch Lexington Branch Millis Branch Woburn Branch

Bus routes
(List of routes)

Other services

Component parts
of system lines

Boylston Street Subway
Haymarket North Extension
Lechmere Viaduct
Tremont Street Subway
Washington Street Subway

Capital projects

Under construction	Chelsea extension Fairmount Line upgrades Forest Hills modifications Green Line Extension Haverhill Line upgrades South Coast Rail Wachusett extension

In planning / proposed	Buzzards Bay extension Foxboro service Hynes Convention Center renovation Kingston R.I. extension Nashua extension Route 16 extension Wollaston renovation

Formerly proposed	Arborway Line restoration Indigo Line (Fairmount Grand Junction Track 61) Lexington extension Lynn extension North–South Rail Link Plaistow extension Reading extension Red Line—Blue Line Connector Urban Ring Project

History

Predecessor companies	Boston Elevated Railway Streetcar lines Boston and Maine Railroad Conrail New York Central Railroad New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Newton and Boston Street Railway

Route histories	History of the Green Line

Accidents and incidents	1990 Back Bay 2008 Waban/Woodland

Other

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.