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Boston Logan Airport (BOS) to downtown

The SL1 bus calls at every terminal and runs to South Station, and the ride out of the airport is free. The subway is $2.40 once you are in the system.

  • Service from Logan Airport is always free, in MBTA's own words. You board the SL1 at the terminal kerb and pay nothing.
  • The SL1 calls at every terminal and runs to South Station, where it meets the Red Line and the Commuter Rail.
  • Going back to Logan, the Red Line to SL1 transfer is also free.
  • The Blue Line is the other way in, reached by the free Massport Shuttle from every terminal to Airport station.
  • The ordinary subway fare is $2.40 on a CharlieCard, CharlieTicket or contactless card.
  • Two transfers are included, and you pay only the highest-priced service among them.
  • A ferry runs from the Logan Airport Ferry Terminal to Long Wharf, Lovejoy Wharf for North Station, Hingham and Hull.
  • SL3 from Airport station goes to Chelsea, and the 104 bus to Malden.

The unusual part

  • MBTA's own Logan page says it plainly: service from Logan Airport is always free. No ticket, no tap, no machine to find in the arrivals hall.
  • That makes Boston the cheapest major American airport to leave by public transport, by the widest possible margin. Chicago charges $5 to enter the system at O'Hare and San Francisco $11.80 to reach downtown.
  • The free leg is the one out of the airport. Once you are in the system, ordinary fares apply for onward journeys.
  • In the other direction the transfer is free too: heading to Logan, changing from the Red Line onto the SL1 costs nothing extra.

The Silver Line

  • The SL1 bus picks up and drops off at every Logan terminal, on the kerb, so there is no shuttle to a station first.
  • It runs to the South Boston Waterfront and South Station, where you connect to the Red Line and the Commuter Rail.
  • It is a bus that behaves like a subway line, which is why subway fares cover it and why it appears on the rapid transit map.

The Blue Line, and the rest

  • Airport station is on the Blue Line, and the free Massport Shuttle links it to every terminal.
  • The Blue Line meets the Green Line at Government Center and the Orange Line at State.
  • The SL3 runs from Airport station to Chelsea, connecting to the Commuter Rail and buses at Chelsea station.
  • The 104 bus runs from Airport station to Malden, for the Orange Line and Commuter Rail at Malden Center.
  • There is a ferry. From the Logan Airport Ferry Terminal it serves Long Wharf, Lovejoy Wharf for North Station, Hingham and Hull.

Fares once you are moving

  • One-way subway fare is $2.40, with a CharlieCard, a CharlieTicket or a contactless bank card or phone.
  • The same $2.40 covers the Red, Orange, Green and Blue lines, the Mattapan Trolley and Silver Line routes SL1, SL2 and SL3.
  • You get up to two transfers across local bus, express bus, Silver Line and subway, paying only the cost of the highest-priced service.
  • Children aged 11 and under travel free.

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Sources (2)

What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.