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Boston’s “T”
The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau invites you to take advantage of Boston’s public transit system – called the “T” – an abbreviation for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
One of the most extensive bus, rail, and water transportation public transit systems in the world, the T provides low cost service to hotels, sightseeing tours, shops, walking trails, parks, Logan International Airport, South Station & North Station Terminals.
The T system of underground rail lines is easy to understand. Five colors are used to label the frequent rail lines: Red, Green, Blue, Orange and Silver. The lines intersect and there is no cost to transfer from one line to another. This system permits the visitor to reach almost anywhere in the system for $2.00.
Fares
The basic subway fare is $2.00 and kids – 11 years and younger – ride free! Bus fare is $1.50. A paper ‘Charlie Ticket’ can be purchased at any MBTA sales kiosk with cash, credit or debit card.
Insider Tip – The ‘CharlieCard’: The plastic reusable, re-loadable ‘CharlieCard’ saves you money. With the Charlie Card, basic fare costs $2.00. Bus rides cost $1.50. The ‘CharlieCard‘ also provides you with more than 75 discounts at attractions during your visit. Visit www.mbta.com for more details.
To get a CharlieCard, you can purchase a pre-loaded card on www.mbta.com prior to your arrival, pick one up from a MBTA Customer Service Agent, or get one at one of the T sales offices at Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, Harvard, North Station or South Station.
The best purchase a visitor can make is the one-week Visitor Pass. ($18.00 US). Load a T-Pass on your CharlieCard or Ticket and travel as much and as often as you like.
The T website, www.mbta.com offers six-sections of information including a very useful fill-in-your-starting point and destination Trip Planner. Information online is available in six languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, and French.
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail is also managed by the MBTA and can be used to reach destinations outside Boston for fares between $2 and $11.00. For example, Salem, Plymouth, Worcester, Gloucester, Rockport, Lowell, and Concord can be reached by Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail.
Other Public Transit Services Many other transportation companies offer fast ferries to Cape Cod and coastal visitor destinations, casinos, Tanglewood in the Berkshires, rail trips to Portland, Maine, and there are more than a dozen Gray Line tours throughout the region.
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