More Details on Boston’s New, Free ‘Link Bus’ Shuttle Program
The City of Boston is piloting a free, five-route shuttle service across neighborhoods to solve first/last-mile problems and address inequitable access to the rapid transit network for Boston-area commuters.
The proposed Link Bus program, set to launch in early 2027, aims to fill gaps in public transit services in places like Roxbury, Mattapan, Seaport, and Allston-Brighton, and improve those neighborhoods’ connections to nearby MBTA rail lines.
The Wu administration shared more details on the program when Boston Transportation Department (BTD) Transit Team Director Matt Moran presented the program to the Boston Planning and Development Agency board of directors at their Sept. 17 meeting:
In 2024, the Federal Highway Administration awarded the city $11.5 million in federal funding from the Congestion Relief Program to launch these shuttles.
Though that grant was awarded nearly two years ago, the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Boston (EDIC) formally accepted the funding that makes the Link Bus possible at the Sept. 17 meeting.
The funding is slated to cover three years of this service. During that time, the City will also be evaluating ridership with the aim of sustaining more long-term transportation options.
Considering the region’s population growth, the inaccessibility of private shuttles that serve developments like Longwood and the Flynn Marine Park areas, and the T’s constraints in garage space for more buses, the Link Bus provides a unique opportunity for the city to expand bus service in Boston’s fastest-growing neighborhoods.
A mosaic transportation network
The project is targeting neighborhoods that lie in between existing MBTA rapid transit routes – places like Brighton, where a 5-mile trip downtown can take up to an hour, and typically requires a bus ride to distant subway stations in Kenmore or Central Square.
“We are looking to connect residents and employees with MBTA services and other essential services that might be a little bit geographically difficult to reach today,” City of Boston Transit Team Director Matt Moran told BPDA board members at the Sept. 17 meeting. “We’re not looking to duplicate MBTA services. We’re looking to really add services to areas of the city that haven’t traditionally had a lot of good transit, either because there hasn’t been development there or because historically they’ve been underinvested in.”
Boston already has a few existing non-MBTA bus routes that serve similar functions.
Examples include the Lower Mystic Link that connects Charlestown, Everett, and Chelsea to the Sullivan Square Orange Line and Chelsea stations, and the community-run Mission Hill Bus, which connects supermarkets, health care centers, and affordable housing to the Ruggles Orange Line station.
Fitting into a mosaic of a transportation network already occupied with a plethora of providers, from MBTA bus and rail service to local volunteer programs, Link Bus will operate in partnership with other Transportation Management Associations (TMA) like A Better City (Allston-Brighton), Lower Mystic TMA (the Lower Mystic), and Seaport TMA (Seaport) to meet commuter needs and further connect them to their intended destinations like work, school, and other third spaces.
Complementing, not competing with the T
The service will have consistent, city-wide branding, regular routes and hours, and accessible maps with Key Transfer Points. The bus stops will be ADA accessible, identifiable, convenient, and co-located with T stops, where possible.
The routes provide north-to-south and east-to-west coverage.
- The Seaport route will serve as an addition to pre-existing Silver Line service, connecting riders to South Station, Commonwealth Pier, and Seaport Boulevard.
- There are two new Allston-Brighton routes planned: one would cross the neighborhood on a north-south axis, from Harvard Square to Washington Square in Brookline; the other would run east-west, from Oak Square to will meet each other at the Boston Landing commuter rail station, which currently only connects to one MBTA bus route (the 64).
- The “Lower Mystic”, or the Assembly to North Station route, will connect Sullivan Station, Hood Park, City Square, and Navy Yard. The area already has the “Lower Mystic Link” service that connects the Bunker Hill Housing development on Medford Street to the Market Basket in Chelsea. That bus route has been running for nearly a year with $200,000 in state funding. TransAction Associates will operate both routes Route 1 (Charlestown-Everett) as of November 1, 2026, and early 2027 for Route 2 (Assembly-North Station).
- The Roxbury and Mattapan routes are still being finalized.
For the Roxbury and Mattapan service in particular, routes are being fleshed out, operators are being procured, and community engagement strategies are being developed. This fall, the City will host public meetings in Grove Hall and Mattapan for public input. Details are forthcoming, and can be found on the city’s website.
“By connecting people more directly to the regional transit network, each service will reflect its neighborhood while sharing a commitment to being free, accessible, reliable, and open to everyone,” said Chris Osgood, Interim Boston Chief of Streets, in a press release announcing the new service.
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