MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

"MWRTA" redirects here; not to be confused with MWRA.

MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)

Map of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) service area in green with the central hub town of Framingham in blue.
Founded	2006
Headquarters	15 Blandin Avenue, Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Locale	MetroWest, Massachusetts
Service area	Ashland Dover Framingham Holliston Hopedale Hopkinton Hudson Marlborough Milford Natick Sherborn Southborough Sudbury Wayland Wellesley Weston
Service type	Bus paratransit
Routes	20
Hubs	Framingham, Massachusetts
Fleet	Ford E-Series cutaways
Annual ridership	597,708 (2019) [1]
Operator	Kiessling Transit
Website	mwrta.com

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) is a regional public transit authority in the state of Massachusetts providing bus and paratransit service to sixteen municipalities in the Boston MetroWest. The MWRTA was formed in 2006 and began service on July 1, 2007, with the purpose of filling a void in public transportation service in the MetroWest. Funding for the MWRTA comes partially from the state and local governments of the communities it operates within. ^[2]

Service

A route 4N bus at the "Banana Lot" next to Framingham station in 2025

A MassBay Riverside shuttle at Riverside station in 2025

Routes

The below table lists each MWRTA route, along with its stops at the days it operates (last updated August 25, 2024): ^[3]

MWRTA Route Listing

Route	Stops	Days active
1	Route 9 from the Natick Mall to Woodland station, including MathWorks Apple Hill & Lakeside, and MassBay Wellesley	Monday–Friday
2	Clockwise Framingham Route, servicing Downtown Framingham, MetroWest Medical Center, and major shopping destinations	All
3	Counter-clockwise Framingham Route, servicing Downtown Framingham, MetroWest Medical Center, and major shopping destinations	All
4N	North Framingham Route, servicing Golden Triangle retail, MathWorks Lakeside, MetroWest Medical Center, and Framingham station (Banana Lot)	All
4S	South Framingham Route, servicing Beaver and Second Streets, Ashland Market Basket, Shaw's and MCI Framingham	All
5	Hopkinton Route, servicing Route 135	Monday–Friday
6	Holliston to Milford Route, servicing Route 126. Connects with Bus 14 at Milford Crossing	Monday–Friday
7	Framingham to Marlborough Route, from Route 9 to Downtown Marlborough via Route 30 and Route 85	All
7C	Marlborough Connector Route, from Solomon Pond Mall to the Wayside Inn	All
9	Route 9 from the Natick Mall to Staples Corporate Offices	Monday–Friday
10	Natick Counter-clockwise Route, servicing Downtown Natick, Leonard Morse Hospital, Natick Center station and the Natick Mall	Monday–Friday
11	Natick Clockwise Route, Servicing Downtown Natick, Leonard Morse Hospital, Natick Center station and the Natick Mall	All
14	Milford Route, servicing Downtown Milford; connects with Bus 6 at Milford Crossing	Monday–Friday
15	Hudson Route, servicing Bolton Street and Route 62	Monday–Friday
GO1	Framingham Center to Waushakum Beach. Connects with the GO2, 4S, 5, and 6 at Framingham MBTA, 4N and 7 at Buckley Apartments, and the 7 at Framingham State University	Summer Only Monday–Friday
GO2	West Natick to Farm Pond. Connects with the GO1, 4S, 5, and 6 at Framingham MBTA, 10 and 11 at the West Natick station, and the 4S, 10, and 11 at Second Street	Summer Only Monday–Friday
GO3	Natick and Wayland to Saxonville Beach, Wayland Town Beach, and Cochituate State Park. Connects with the 1,2,3,4N,9,10,11 at Natick Mall, 3 and 4N at Walmart, and 2 and 3 at Framingham High School	Summer Only Monday–Friday
Weekend GLC	Weekend Green Line Connector from The Green at 9/90 Apartments Framingham to Woodland station via Route 9	Saturday & Sunday
MBC Shuttle	Weekday service between MassBay Framingham, MassBay Wellesley, and Framingham State	Monday–Friday
MassBay Riverside	Weekday service between MassBay Wellesley and Riverside station (MBTA)	Monday–Friday

Paratransit

Per the ADA requirements, the MWRTA must provide paratransit service as a curb-to-curb service to eligible residents having a physical, cognitive, or mental disability within a 3/4 mile radius of a fixed route regular bus service. In addition, MWRTA paratransit service is also provided to eligible residents within any of its sixteen member communities. The MWRTA also provides paratransit service to MWRTA service area border towns at an increased fare. ^[4]

MicroTransit

In 2021, MWRTA launched a new MicroTransit service called Catch Connect, in coordination with MWRTA's mobile app, Catch. Catch Connect was launched in the Town of Wellesley in February 2021, alongside the existing Fixed Route 8. In March the Route 8 was removed from service and replaced entirely with Catch Connect. The MicroTransit service parameters include the entire Town of Wellesley, as well as the Woodland and Waban MBTA Green Line Stations, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Natick Community Center. The MBTA Stations and Natick COA served as connecting points to the MBTA, and to MWRTA's Fixed Routes 10 and 11.

In July 2021, using MassDOT Discretionary Funding, MWRTA launched Catch Connect service in Framingham and Natick on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 AM - 6PM. The service area includes Downtown Framingham, Downtown Natick, and the Route 9 Golden Triangle retail area.

In June 2022, with funded by ARPA Grants and aided by Representative Kate Hogan, MWRTA launched Catch Connect service in Hudson, MA on Saturday's from 8 AM - 6PM. MWRTA's Route 15 began service in Hudson in 2016 and had increased continuously in ridership over the years. The new CC service provides Hudson and Marlborough residents flexible Saturday service. The service area includes the entire Town of Hudson, and a small portion of Downtown Marlborough to connect riders to the existing Routes 7 and 7C Saturday.

Riders of the Catch Connect service are able to book their trips directly through the MWRTA Catch App. If riders do not have access to a smartphone they can call the MWRTA Central Reservations department to have a representative book the trip for them. The Catch Connect service is a shared-ride service open to the public, and uses fully accessible Ford Transit Vans and Ford cutaway 12 passenger vehicles.

History

In 2006, an Economic Stimulus Bill passed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts included legislation pushed by Karen Spilka and other MetroWest area legislators. ^[5] The legislation opened the possibility of a new Regional Transit Authority to be formed in the MetroWest region. The legislation states that any community providing an annual assessment to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) but not served directly by the MBTA may form their own Regional Transit Authority (RTA) using that funding instead. ^[6]

Under the advisement of the legislation, the MWRTA was created in Framingham with the neighboring communities of Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Ashland, and Wayland. At the time, Framingham had its own community bus system called The LIFT (Local Inter Framingham Transit).The newly formed MWRTA was based on The LIFT. With this system, the communities of the MWRTA would have a basis for their new RTA. ^[7]

As part of the growth of the MWRTA and due to Natick joining the system, Natick's own Neighborhood Bus system was incorporated into the MWRTA in the summer of 2008. ^[8] Prior to the creation of the MWRTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provided part of its paratransit service, called The Ride to Framingham and Natick. On July 1, 2009, administration of paratransit service to Framingham and Natick switched from the MBTA to MWRTA in alignment with the change in assessments paid to the MWRTA by those communities rather than to the MBTA. ^[4]

The MWRTA acquired larger 29 ft transit buses in 2025 for use on route 4N, the system's busiest route. ^{[9] [10]}

References

1. "Performance Measures" (PDF). mwrta.com. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
2. "MWRTA FAQ". MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
3. "Fixed Routes". mwrta.com. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
4. "MWRTA Senior & Disabled Transportation". MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
5. Jennifer Kavanaugh. (June 25, 2006). "MBTA may no longer be the only game in town" (PDF). The Milford Daily News .
6. Matthew G. Feher (June 23, 2006). "Legislature sends nearly $1B in new spending to governor". Massachusetts Municipal Association.
7. John C. Drake (June 28, 2007). "Regional transit authority sets its wheels in motion". The Boston Globe .
8. Charlie Breitrose. (June 28, 2008). "Natick bus to join MWRTA system" (PDF). The MetroWest Daily News .
9. "MassDOT and MWRTA Add New, Heavy Duty Buses to Fleet" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 10, 2025.
10. "Advisory Board Meeting - February 12, 2024". MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. February 12, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2025.

External links

• Official website
• GeoGraphics Lab MetroWest