Boston is planning last-mile shuttle service in Mattapan and Roxbury.
Planning a Mattapan and Roxbury Shuttle Service
According to dotnews.com, the city is planning last-mile shuttle service in Mattapan and Roxbury. The proposal is for shuttle service in both neighborhoods.
The Mattapan and Roxbury proposals are for last-mile shuttle service. The LINKUP Greater Boston Congestion Relief Program has a $11,448,556 MassDOT passthrough contract.
Existing LINK Shuttle Services
Not every LINK route is still on the drawing board. The Lower Mystic LINK connects riders in Charlestown, Everett and Chelsea, while a Mission Hill LINK bus is already fully up and running, dotnews.com reports. The Lower Mystic Link itself launched in November 2025 as a no-fare service run by the Lower Mystic TMA, according to masscommute.com, and it runs seven days a week during morning and evening commuting hours, plus midday on weekends.
That route links riders in Charlestown, Everett and Chelsea to transit including Sullivan Square's Orange Line station, Silver Line 3, and the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line, per masscommute.com. The program fits into a broader pattern of fare-free, last-mile shuttle service around Greater Boston — the same site also points to a Charles River TMA service connecting North Station, Lechmere, Kendall Square and Cambridgeport.
Planned Shuttle Service in Mattapan and Roxbury
Boston is planning last-mile shuttle service in Mattapan and Roxbury. That echoes an older idea in Boston transit circles: in 2019, a proposed Seaport Circulator was described as a small-bus loop, with stops planned at South Station, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the Innovation and Design Building, The Boston Globe reported.
Boston's Fare-Free Bus Pilot
Boston has a fare-free bus pilot. The MBTA's fare-free pilot on Routes 23, 28 and 29 will remain free through December 31, 2026, funded by the City of Boston, according to the MBTA. The program continues to provide free rides on those routes.
City Hall data cited by wgbh.org shows ridership on those same routes has grown faster than anywhere else in the MBTA system, even exceeding pre-pandemic numbers by a wide margin. The fare-free buses are carrying 16% more riders than before the pandemic and have cut dwell times by about 20% through all-door boarding, the station reports.
Mattapan and Roxbury are planned locations for last-mile shuttle service. The Lower Mystic and Mission Hill LINK services are already running.
