Getting around · Citywide

How to Ride the T Without Looking Like You Just Got Here

Fares, tap-to-pay, the color-coded lines, getting in from Logan, and the etiquette nobody writes on the wall. Everything you need before your first ride.

By Fun Boston Published 6 min read

Riding the T is easier than it used to be: tap a credit card, phone or watch at the gate and walk through. A subway ride is $2.40 and a local bus is $1.70 (fares as of Sept. 2026). Best tip: pay with the same card or phone all day, because a new pilot lets you transfer freely within two hours and pay once.

What it costs (fares as of Sept. 2026)

The MBTA's fares page lists a one-way subway ride at $2.40 and a local bus at $1.70, however you pay. Riding a lot? Passes:

  • 1-Day Pass: $11.00, 24 hours of unlimited rides from first use
  • 7-Day Pass: $22.50
  • Monthly LinkPass: $90.00, which also covers Zone 1A Commuter Rail

The big fall news: under a 2026 fare pilot that started Sept. 1, you can make "unlimited" transfers between bus, subway and ferry within two hours and pay only the highest fare of the trip. The catch is you have to use the same payment method for every leg. The state's announcement says it runs six months. Express Bus fares now match local bus fares, too.

What we couldn't find: a daily or weekly fare cap on tap-to-pay. The MBTA's site doesn't mention one as of Sept. 2026, so for a big sightseeing day, the 1-Day Pass is your cap. Do the math.

Cash warning: the MBTA says there are no free transfers with cash, and if you overpay on board, you won't get change.

How to pay: tap, CharlieCard or CharlieTicket

Tap to pay (the easy way)

According to the MBTA's tap-to-ride page, contactless payment works on bus, subway and ferry. Tap your contactless debit or credit card, or a phone or watch with a mobile wallet, on the Charlie reader at the fare gate, bus door or street-level train door. It does not work on Commuter Rail.

The MBTA asks you to use the same payment method each time so you're charged correctly. Our advice: everyone in your group taps their own card or phone.

$2.40 subway, $1.70 bus · Fare gates and bus doors · All service hours

CharlieCard

The plastic CharlieCard is free from fare vending machines, MBTA staff at most subway stations, Boston Public Library locations, and the Charlie Service Center at 296 Washington St. Load it with a card, cash or EBT at the machines. Heads up: you can't tap your CharlieCard on the new Charlie readers.

Free · Charlie Service Center near State and Downtown Crossing · Fare machines and staff at most subway stations

CharlieTicket

The paper version, which the MBTA calls "great for visitors." Stored value expires 18 months after purchase, so don't leave $30 on one in a drawer.

Reduced fares and free rides

Per the reduced fares page, reduced fares are $1.10 subway, $0.85 bus and $30.00 for a Monthly LinkPass. Who qualifies:

  • Seniors 65 and older
  • Riders with disabilities and Medicare cardholders
  • Middle and high school students in the Student Pass Program
  • Riders 18 to 64 enrolled in a state assistance program (the low-income fare)

Children 11 and under ride free, as do people who are legally blind.

Pay-per-ride reduced-fare riders can link benefits to a contactless card or phone. Pass users should stick with their reduced fare card.

New this fall: the Car-Free Seniors pilot gives Massachusetts residents 75 and up with a state ID instead of a driver's license free rides on bus, subway, ferry and Commuter Rail. Enrollment opens Oct. 13, 2026.

The lines, decoded

"Inbound" means toward Park Street, State, Government Center and Downtown Crossing, per the MBTA's subway guide. Outbound is everything else. Endpoints come from the MBTA's route data.

Red Line

Alewife through Cambridge (Harvard, Central, Kendall/MIT) to Park Street and South Station, then splits to Ashmont or Braintree. Check the sign so you don't end up in Quincy by accident. The Mattapan trolley continues from Ashmont.

$2.40 · Harvard, Kendall/MIT, South Station · Your Cambridge line

Orange Line

Oak Grove to Forest Hills, through North Station, Haymarket, Downtown Crossing, Chinatown and Back Bay.

$2.40 · Back Bay, Chinatown, North Station · All service hours

Green Line (B, C, D, E)

Four branches sharing downtown stops like Park Street, Copley and Kenmore. The B goes to Boston College, the C to Cleveland Circle, the D runs Riverside to Union Square, and the E runs Heath Street to Medford/Tufts. Read the letter on the train.

$2.40 · Copley, Kenmore, Museum of Fine Arts (E) · Cash OK at street-level stops

Blue Line

Bowdoin to Wonderland, via State, Aquarium, Airport and Revere Beach. It goes to the beach. Respect.

$2.40 · Aquarium, Airport, Revere Beach · Beach day line

Silver Line

Buses that act like subway lines. SL1 runs from Logan to South Station, SL2 to Design Center, SL3 to Chelsea, and SL4 and SL5 to Nubian Station. The MBTA says SL1, SL2 and SL3 take subway fares.

Getting in from Logan Airport

Per the MBTA's Logan Airport page:

  • SL1 Silver Line: Stops at every terminal and goes to South Station for the Red Line and Commuter Rail. Rides from the airport are always free. Our pick.
  • Blue Line: Take the free Massport shuttle to Airport station, then the Blue Line to State (Orange) or Government Center (Green). You pay the subway fare.
  • Ferry: Boats run to Long Wharf, Lovejoy Wharf (North Station), Hingham and Hull.

Commuter Rail and ferries

The Commuter Rail runs out of North Station, South Station and Back Bay, with one-way fares from $2.40 to $13.25 depending on zone. Buy in the mTicket app or at station machines; paying on board may cost a $3 fee where the station has a machine. No tap-to-pay here. Weekend and Holiday Passes are $10, and monthly passes are 50% off through November 2026.

MBTA ferries cost $2.40 for inner harbor trips like the Charlestown and East Boston boats, and up to $9.75 to Hingham or Hull. Pay with mTicket, paper tickets or contactless. CharlieCards aren't accepted.

Hours, apps and accessibility

The subway guide lists typical hours as 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. No overnight trains, and last trains vary by station.

The MBTA's official app is MBTA Go, with live arrivals and closures. Use mTicket for Commuter Rail and ferry tickets, and the Trip Planner for routes. Check alerts before you ride.

On accessibility: all MBTA buses have ramps and can kneel, and you can check elevator and escalator status by calling 617-222-2828. The RIDE offers door-to-door paratransit for people who can't use regular service.

The unwritten rules

The MBTA's own guides ask you to let people off before you board, take off your backpack, use headphones, and offer your seat to older adults, pregnant people and people with disabilities. Here's the rest of the local code:

  • Stand right, walk left on escalators. Blocking the left side at Park Street during rush hour is how enemies are made.
  • Move all the way in. The doorway is not your personal lounge.
  • Have your card or phone out before the gate. Digging through your bag at the reader is stopping at the top of a staircase, T edition.
  • One seat, one butt. Your bag doesn't need its own seat.
  • Know your letter. On the Green Line, "a Green Line train" is not an answer. B, C, D or E.
  • Don't hold the doors. Another train is coming. Probably.

The short version

  • Subway $2.40, local bus $1.70, 1-Day Pass $11 (fares as of Sept. 2026).
  • Tap your own credit card, phone or watch on bus, subway and ferry. Not on Commuter Rail.
  • Stick with one payment method to get unlimited transfers within two hours, under the fall 2026 pilot.
  • From Logan, the SL1 is free to South Station.
  • Kids 11 and under ride free, and reduced fares exist for seniors, students, riders with disabilities and low-income riders.
  • Trains run roughly 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., later on Friday and Saturday. Check MBTA Go for alerts.

Sources

Prices, hours and schedules change. Tap through to the official source before you go, and if we got something wrong, tell us. We log every fix on our corrections page.

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