How to get around with public transportation in Boston

Learn how to navigate Boston’s public transportation, from the costs to the best ways to get around Boston.

Ivandzhelin

4 minute read

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Updated on 21 Jun 2024

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Living

If you’ve started searching for homes for rent in Boston, you’re probably curious about the public transport connections near your future home. With one of the most extensive public transportation systems in the US, no matter which Boston neighborhood you live in, it’ll be well connected.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is responsible for public transportation in Boston and mainly offers 3 ways of getting around Boston.

• Subway
• Bus
• Commuter rail

Find out the cost of using public transportation in Boston and how to use them.

The MBTA offers an array of ways you can buy a ticket. The 3 most common public transport tickets in Boston are:

• CharlieTicket: to use the subway, Silver line, buses, Commuter rail (only Zone 1A), and the ferry (only Charlestown and East Boston)
• mTicket: for the Commuter rail and the ferry
• CharlieCard: for riding the Silver line, subway, or bus (it can also be automatically renewed)

Boston public transport cost

The cost of using Boston’s public transport depends on the type of public transportation you use. The cost for one-way fares is:

• Subway: $2.40
• Bus: between $1.70 (local buses) and $4.25 (express buses)
• Commuter rail: $2.40 — $13.25 (depending on the zones traveled)
• Ferry: $2.40 — $9.75

To maintain a reasonable cost of living in Boston, we suggest purchasing a pass. You can pick from the following public transportation passes in Boston:

• Monthly Local bus pass for $55
• 7-day pass for $22.50
• Monthly LinkPass for $90

With the monthly Local bus pass, you get unlimited rides on the local bus or Silver lines 4 and 5. The 7-day pass and the monthly LinkPass give you unlimited travel for local buses, subways, Silver Line, the Commuter Rail (only Zone 1A), and the ferry (Charlestown and East Boston). The LinkPass is the most popular one with subway users.

If you live in Boston’s suburbs, we recommend getting a monthly Commuter Rail pass. There are 2 types of passes: added on CharlieTicket or added on mTicket.

Monthly passes for CharlieTickets are valid for all public transport within Boston plus the Commuter Rail up to the zone you live in. Depending on which zone your home is located in, the price of the pass is between $90 and $426 for 1 calendar month.

The monthly passes for mTickets are valid on the Commuter rail and all of the ferries for the price of $80—$416. We recommend getting this one only if you use the rail and ferries the most, as it’ll be too expensive otherwise to pay the one-way fare every time you use the city public transport.

With 125 stops, Boston’s subway, also known as the “T”, has the city's most extensive network of all means of public transportation.

The subway has 4 main lines: Red, Orange, Green, and Blue, each connecting a different side of the city with Downtown (Boston Common). At the subway station, look for signs that say "Inbound" and "Outbound" to know the train direction. "Inbound" goes towards Boston Common.

Operating hours: runs daily between 5 AM and 1 AM, with some lines running as late as 1:50 AM.

Boston has 3 types of buses:

• Local: to travel within the city
• Express: to get from the suburbs to downtown Boston
• Silver Line: a rapid transit bus with its own lane or road to travel quickly between stops. It has 5 routes.

You can pay your fare by tapping your CharlieCard or inserting your CharlieTicket in the box at the front of the bus. If you need to purchase a ticket, you can buy one from the driver with cash. If you’re using the Silver Line, you’ll pay subway fares for routes 1–3 and bus fares for Silve Line routes 4-5.

For residents with disabilities who are unable to use regular services, there's The RIDE, a bus service by MBTA. It operates from 5 AM to 1 AM, and you can schedule rides 1 to 5 days in advance. The one-way fare is $3.35, and you can manage your balance online, by phone, email, or in person at the Downtown Crossing station's CharlieCard store.

Operating hours: Most buses work between 5 AM and 1 AM, with busier lines running from 1 AM to 5 AM as well.

Boston’s Commuter Rail connects the city with nearby Rhode Island and East Massachusetts towns.

The rail’s 12 routes all start/end at North or South stations. All stops are divided between Zones 1A to 10, depending on how far they’re from Boston.

You can purchase tickets via the mTicket app, vending machines at stations, ticket windows, retail locations in the region, and from conductors. Keep in mind that if you decide to buy from a conductor after the train has left a station, you’ll have to pay an additional $3.

Operating hours: the Commuter Rail runs between 5 AM and 1 AM, with more frequent trains during rush hours.

Tip: On the Commuter Rail schedule, some stations are marked with a purple "f" next to their name. The train makes these stops only if passengers have notified the conductor they need to get off there. Some stations have a blue "L" next to their name. These are stops where trains can depart earlier.

The best way to get around Boston depends on where you need to go and how you want to get there. Despite experiencing delays and understaffing issues post-pandemic, public transportation in Boston remains the most reliable (and affordable) way to get around the city.

If you’re exploring homes for rent in Boston’s suburbs, the best way to get to the city would be the Commuter Rail. While commuting with a car might be a more comfortable option, taking public transport is a few hundred dollars more affordable.

We suggest taking the subway over the bus if you can, as the metro has more extensive coverage, and you won’t get stuck in traffic. If you have to take the bus, see if a Silver Line stop is nearby, as they have their own rapid lanes. On the other hand, subways go through “slow zones,” which have increased in number since the pandemic, so you might need to add 30 minutes extra to your journey, even with the subway.