Boston’s MBTA announced that the proposed Fiscal Years 2027 – 2031 MBTA Capital Investment Plan (FY27 – 31 MBTA CIP) released will fully fund the remaining design and construction costs of the redesigned Arborway Bus Maintenance Facility.

When construction is complete, battery-electric buses (BEBs) will operate from the Arborway facility on Day One, providing cleaner, quieter, and more reliable service for riders, the MBTA said. After completion, the old facility will be demolished, and the land will be made available for redevelopment.

“We’re enhancing bus service every way we can to win back riders, from increasing service beyond pre-pandemic levels, to efficiently and accessibly operating dedicated bus lanes through Automated Camera Enforcement, to continued investments in our frontline workforce and so much more,” said Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA GM Phillip Eng. “We are laser-focused on making the MBTA bus network a system that the public can rely on today and for generations.”

MBTA’s Funding Plan

Through $371.5 million in funding from the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, the upgraded, larger Arborway facility will be 100% ready for BEBs, accommodating a mix of BEBs and hybrid buses on Day One of completion.

The MBTA said it is committed to delivering safe, reliable, and improved service to make transit not only viable but the preferred mode of travel. The agency said it is monitoring and engaging with the bus manufacturing industry, and Arborway will initially support both BEBs and hybrid buses to ensure service levels are not only maintained but also improved and enhanced going forward.

The agency added that it remains committed to phasing more BEBs into service from the Arborway facility as we work with the industry toward this endeavor.

 The Arborway Facility

The future Arborway facility will be located next to the current facility at Washington Street and Arborway in Boston, near Forest Hills station. Once construction is completed, the old Arborway facility will be demolished, and the area will be available for redevelopment.

Today, the Arborway garage maintains buses serving routes in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, and areas southwest of Boston. The new, larger facility will support even more buses serving additional routes in the region, providing better, more frequent, and more reliable bus service for current and future generations of riders. 

Upgrading Arborway and the MBTA’s other bus maintenance facilities is one of the MBTA’s many current efforts to support increased bus service throughout the region:

• BEBs will start to operate this summer from the North Cambridge bus facility. North Cambridge serviced the MBTA’s now-retired fleet of electric trolleybuses, which were the oldest buses in our system. The system-wide transition to BEBs will allow the North Cambridge facility to maintain the same buses as the rest of the fleet, reducing operating costs and improving operating efficiency and reliability.
• The new Quincy bus facility is on track for completion in Summer 2027. As the oldest facility in our system, the existing Quincy facility lacks the required technology and space to support newer buses. Because only older buses can run from this garage, Quincy routes experience limited service frequency and more reliability issues. The new facility being constructed is 100% BEB-ready and will accommodate a larger, more modern fleet that includes BEBs, enabling future service expansion while reducing our environmental impact.
• Chargers have been installed at the Cabot and Charlestown facilities to operate test service for new BEBs as they're received ahead of BEB-ready garages opening.
• As previously announced, bus service will be restored beyond pre-COVID levels beginning April 5 as part of spring service changes and in keeping with the MBTA’s commitment to improving overall bus service through incremental operational changes. This season, 37 bus routes across the system will see service increases, and two routes will be upgraded to operate every 15 minutes or better.
• The MBTA’s goal is to provide more options for transit-dependent riders and encourage riders back to bus service through targeted service enhancements that best serve riders where they are. The MBTA has seen a 20% year-over-year ridership boost on bus routes that received improvements in December 2024 as part of Phase 1 of the Bus Network Redesign, and looks forward to welcoming even more riders through the upcoming spring enhancements.  
• The upcoming Automated Camera Enforcement Program aims to improve the frequency and accessibility of bus service by discouraging drivers from blocking bus lanes and bus stops. Keeping buses moving makes roads safer for everyone. Blocked bus stops create safety and accessibility issues, as riders may need to board or exit in the street, and riders using mobility aids may not be able to board or exit the bus at all. Blocked bus lanes delay service and reduce reliability. As outlined in a January 2025 state law, the MBTA will install camera systems on buses to ticket cars standing or parked illegally in bus lanes or in front of bus stops.
• The MBTA continues to reduce the number of “dropped” bus trips through major bus operator hiring and training efforts and record labor agreements, boosting its ranks of bus operators to improve service for riders. This improvement is also due in large part to the coordination, planning, and analysis work by the MBTA’s Service Planning, Bus Operations, and Operations Analytics teams to accurately predict resource needs and make data-driven decisions in advance and in the moment.