MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) Official Fare Information →

About MBTA Fare Payment

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) serves the Greater Boston area with comprehensive public transit services including rapid transit (subway), bus, commuter rail, and ferry services.

Payment Methods

The MBTA supports multiple payment methods:

• CharlieCard: Reloadable smart card for bus and subway
• CharlieTicket: Paper ticket for single or multiple rides (certain passes on CharlieTicket can be used across all modes)
• Contactless payment cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover (physical cards or via Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
• mTicket: Mobile ticketing app for Commuter Rail and ferry
• Cash: Accepted on buses and at fare vending machines

Transfer Policy

The MBTA offers free transfers between rapid transit lines inside the fare gate as a combined trip.

The following transfers across fare gates are free as one combined trip as well:

• Ashmont: Red Line and Mattapan Trolley
• Airport: Blue Line and SL3
• South Station: Commuter Rail Fairmount Line within Zone 1A and Rapid Transit (Red Line/SLW). The Commuter Rail trip must be validated with a CharlieCard.

Silver Line Waterfront (SL1, SL2, SL3, and SLW) are considered rapid transit from a fare perspective. Riders may transfer to other rapid transit routes at South Station inside the fare gate as one combined trip.

SL4 and SL5 are considered local buses.

Transfer Combinations

For Local Bus, Express Bus, Silver Line, and/or Subway, transfer up to two times and pay only the cost of the highest-priced service. Transfer must be completed within 120 minutes after the first tap. Transfers are unavailable on other modes unless the pass covers the mode.

These trips are not considered transfer:

• Multiple taps on rapid transit. Do not tap multiple times on rapid transit, especially with the farebox on the trolley. MBTA does not provide unlimited trips and thus this will be considered a new trip.
• Same Local Bus route, from one to another in either direction

The following table provides examples of allowed transfers:

Special Cases

Boarding SL1 at Logan Airport terminals is free (sponsored by Massport), and you may complete the rapid transit trip for free within the fare gate. Boarding SL3 at the Airport station is not free.

Card Sharing (also known as passback)

MBTA supports card sharing between riders for both CharlieCards and contactless payments:

• Stored value can be used for up to 4 riders within about 20 minutes
• Transfers are tracked for 4 riders in total on the same card
• 1 pass is only available to 1 rider, and 1 CharlieCard may only have 1 active pass; additional taps will be charged with stored value
• If the time and rider limit is exceeded, you may be charged an extra fare or be rejected by the reader
• You may stand on the side to tap multiple times without waiting for the gate to close or the screen to clear
  • At the middle screen of the fare gate (behind the large Contactless reader screen), a number of remaining entries will show up if multiple taps are accepted and the gate will stay open
  • At the new Contactless reader screen, the chime and indicator light around the screen is the only indicator of another tap being accepted

Important Notes

• Military personnel, legally blind individuals and children 11 and under ride for free.
• Senior, student, disabled, and income-eligible riders may use reduced fare but a separate card application is required.

For complete fare details, see the MBTA Tariff.