Beginning in 1919, intrastate bus service was regulated by the Massachusetts Public Service Commission, requiring carriers to be licensed to operate in the cities and towns served. Beginning in 1925, Certificates of Convenience and Necessity were required to operate bus routes.
Direct information could not be located, regarding the issuance of Certificates of Convenience and Necessity for bus service. Information is not available for outside the Boston area. A comprehensive early bus history for the Boston area is available in a report "Origin and Development of the Fixed-Route Local Bus Transportation Network in the Cities and Towns of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority District", by Thomas Humphrey. Originally published in 1973-1974, revised in 2020.
The Boston area's first publicly owned transit system was the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which in 1947 took over the privately owned Boston Elevated Railway, which also operated buses. MTA was replaced in 1964 with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to cover a larger area. MBTA later acquired two major private suburban bus companies, the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway in 1968 and the Middlesex & Boston Street Railway in 1972.
This page focuses on the smaller and lesser known bus companies in the Boston area. These companies mostly did not evolve to part of MBTA. Locations served are included, except for certain short lived companies.
Bus Company Start Year Town Served/Original Route
Airways Transp. Co. 1949 Boston-Logan Airport
1945 introduced by Sutcliffe Storage & Warehouse Co.
1946 to Sutcliffe Transp. Co.
1949 to Airways Transp. Co.
2012 ceased operations
American Arrow Travel System 1939
soon to New England Transp. Co.
B&R Transp. Co. 1946
1949 ceased operations
Babine Bus Lines 1945 Wilmington
1946 ceased operations
Boston & Maine Transp. Co. 1925 intercity
1957 to Continental Trailways
Boston & Worcester St. Ry. 1903 Boston-Worcester
1925 interurban railway began operating buses
1927 to Boston Worcester & N.Y. St. Ry.
1963 to B&W Lines
1971 to The Gray Line
Brush Hill Transp. Co. 1920 Milton
1920 replaced Blue Hill Street Railway streetcars
2003 ceased operations
Bryantville Auto Service 1926 Whitman-Pembroke
1951 to Plymouth & Brockton St. Ry.
Canton-Blue Hill Bus Line 1926 Canton
1922 predecessor company replaced Blue Hill Street Railway streetcars
1990 to Hudson Bus Lines
1994 to new MBTA contract carriers
Carey's Auto Service 1927 Rockland-Whitman
1931 to Fox Auto Service
1941 to Lovell Bus Lines
Carey's Motor Transportation 1957 Randolph
1998 ceased operations
Carlstrom Bus Lines 1920 Westborough
1921 replaced Middlesex & Boston Street Railway streetcars
1938 to Johnson Bus Lines
1952 to Carlstrom Bus Line
1969 to Bernard Bus Lines
1970 to B&W Lines
Charles Cunningham 1927
soon ceased operations
Foxborough-Mansfield Bus Co. 1921 Mansfield-South Walpole
1922 replaced Norfolk & Bristol Street Railway streetcars
1952 to Transit Bus Line
1973 ceased operations
Foxborough-Mansfield Bus Co. 1925 Canton-Sharon/Stoughton
1952 to Perry's Bus Service
1952 to Unda's Bus Service
1974 ceased operations
Gibbey's Taxi Co. 1947
soon ceased operations
Gloucester Auto Bus Co. 1920 Gloucester
1921 replaced Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway streetcars
1966 to Michaud Bus Line
1967 to McNiff-Dominick Transit Co.
1971 to Community Bus Service/Action Inc.
1977 to Cape Ann Transportation Authority
The Gray Line 1928 Boston-Franklin Park
1926 introduced by Abraham Caplan
1928 to The Gray Line
1989 ceased operations
Homer Hanchett 1938 Needham-Dover
1938 to Modern Bus Lines
Hemeon Motor Coach Service 1920 Beverly
1952 to Michaud Bus Line
1963 ceased operations
Hudson Bus Lines (Peabody) 1933 Peabody
1959 to Lynnfield Community
Hudson Bus Lines (Medford) 1937 Medford
1934 introduced by Warwick Coach Lines
1937 to Hudson Bus Lines
1994 to new MBTA contract carriers
Hudson Bus Lines (Arlington) 1938 Arlington
1935 introduced by Service Bus Line
1938 to Hudson Bus Lines
1973 ceased operations
Hudson Bus Lines (Wakefield) 1945 Wakefield
1973 ceased operations
Johnson Bus Lines 1924 Milford-Plainville/Woonsocket
1924 replaced Milford Attleboro & Woonsocket Street Railway streetcars
1963 to The Short Line
Harriet Lindsay 1926 Waltham-South Lincoln
1938 to Metropolitan Coach Co.
Lovell Bus Lines (Maynard Div.) 1919 Maynard
1953 to Middlesex & Boston Street Railway
Lovell Bus Lines (Weymouth Div.) 1932 Weymouth
1926 introduced by White Bus Co.
1932 to Lovell Bus Lines
1947 to Hudson Bus Lines
1984 to new MBTA contract carriers
Luddy & Son 1943 Bridgewater-Quincy/Hingham
1983 ceased operations
Lynnfield Community 1918 Lynnfield
1976 to MBTA
Malden Bus Lines 1927 Malden
1927 introduced by Warwick Coach Lines
1953 to Service Bus Line
1955 to Malden Bus Lines
1972 to Service Bus Line
1975 to MBTA
Mason's Bus Line 1925 North Reading
1939 to Lane's Bus Service
1952 to McIntire Bus Lines
Massachusetts Coach Co. 1925 Dorchester-Milton
1928 to Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
Isabel May 1928
1929 ceased operations
Maynard Bus Service 1953 Maynard-Stow
1953 acquired route from Lovell Bus Lines
1958 ceased operations
McIntire Bus Lines 1947 Reading
1963 ceased operations
Medway & Dedham Bus Lines 1924 Medway-Dedham
1924 replaced Norfolk Western Street Railway/Medfield & Medway Street Railway streetcars
1938 to Johnson Bus Lines
Metropolitan Coach Co. 1928 Boston-Metropolitan State Hospital (Waltham)
1941 to Metropolitan Coach Service
1979 ceased operations
Michaud Bus Line 1919 Salem
1995 to new MBTA contract carriers
Milford Framingham & Uxbridge 1928 Framingham-Milford-Uxbridge
1941 to Johnson Bus Lines
1961 to Milford & Framingham Bus Line
1967 to Big W Trans.
1992 ceased operations
Modern Bus Lines 1919 Needham
1950 to Dedham-Needham Transit Lines
1958 to Needham Transit Co.
1979 ceased operations
Victor Morris 1927
1927 ceased operations
Nantasket Transp. Co. 1919 Nantasket/Hull/Hingham
1976 ceased operations
1977 to new MBTA contract carriers
New England Transp. Co. 1925 intercity
1958 to The Short Line/Johnson Bus Lines
Norwood Motor Tours 1942 Norwood
1974 ceased operations
Oakdale Community Bus Line 1921 Dedham
1945 to Dedham Transit Lines
1950 to Dedham-Needham Transit Lines
1958 to Transit Bus Line
Overland Stage Coaches 1972 Boston-Milford/Woonsocket
1972 acquired routes from The Gray Line
1973 to Plymouth & Brockton St. Ry.
Pierce Bus Lines 1923 Hyde Park-Dedham-Norwood-Walpole
1957 Norwood/Walpole/Norfolk routes to Transit Bus Line
1959 Hyde Park/River Street route to MTA
Pine Crest Acres Transp. 1956
1952 acquired route from Brush Hill Transp. Co.
1956 ceased operations
Plymouth & Brockton St. Ry. 1922 Plymouth-Brockton
1927 interurban railway began operating buses
Rapid Transit Inc. (Winthrop) 1940 Winthrop
1928 introduced by Point Shirley St. Ry.
soon to Boston Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad
1940 to Rapid Transit Inc.
1991 to new MBTA contract carriers
Rawding Bus Lines 1919 Boston-Fish Pier
1938 to Boston Elevated Railway
Ritchie Bus Lines 1973 Marlborough
1963 Hughes Bros. Bus Co. acquired route from B&W Lines
1973 to Ritchie Bus Lines
1984 ceased operations
Alphonso Roberto 1926 Revere
1927 to Service Bus Line
Rose Brothers Bus Co. 1920 Hingham-Hanover-Rockland
1927 to Edward Cobbett
1933 to Lovell Bus Lines
Saugus Transit 1939 Saugus
1922 introduced by Hart Bus Lines
1939 to Saugus Transit
1940 to Rapid Transit Inc.
1956 to Saugus Transit (new company)
1972 to Service Bus Line
1975 to MBTA
Service Bus Line (Revere) 1925 Revere
1975 to MBTA
The Short Line 1930 intercity
1971 to Bonanza Bus Lines
Percy Simmons 1927
1927 ceased operations
Smith's Garage 1948 Hanover-Norwell/Rockland
1949 to South Shore Coach Lines
Keene/Frisbee/Flavell/Kent 1943 Marshfield-Scituate
1949 to South Shore Coach Lines
South Shore Coach Lines 1949 Marshfield-Quincy
1952 to Plymouth & Brockton St. Ry.
South Shore Transit 1947 Scituate-Hingham
1946 introduced by Clipper Bus Service
1947 to South Shore Transit
1950 to Plymouth & Brockton St. Ry.
Transit Bus Line 1948 Walpole
1942 introduced by Michael Connolly
1948 to Transit Bus Line
1986 ceased operations
Vocell Bus Co. 1952 Burlington
1931 introduced by Holland Brothers Bus Line
1952 to Vocell Bus Co.
1971 ceased operations
Walnut Hill Realty Co. 1928 Brookline-Walnut Hill
1930 to Metropolitan Coach Co.
Waltham Auto Exchange 1925 Waltham-Wayland
1934 to Lovell Bus Lines
Wellesley Motor Coach Co. 1923 Wellesley
1989 ceased operations
Alton White 1936
soon ceased operations
Bus Company Start Year Town Served/Original Route